Pakistan rejects India's plea for access to Kulbhushan Jadhav

New Delhi/Islamabad: Pakistan on Wednesday formally rejected India’s request for consular access to former Indian naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav, even as Indian high commissioner Gautam Bambawale met Pakistan foreign secretary Tehmina Janjua in Islamabad and handed over a petition by the mother of former naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav to the Pakistan government and an appeal for the “Court of Appeal”.

The Court of Appeal will hear the case of Jadhav who was recently sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and sabotage. India also requested Pakistan to facilitate visas for Jadhav’s parents, who have filed their visa application with the Pakistan high commission and want to visit Pakistan to meet their son and file the petition and appeal in person.

New Delhi also placed the 16th request for consular access to Jadhav with Islamabad.

Ms Janjua, however, conveyed to the Indian high commissioner that the demand for consular access had been rejected. Ms Janjua dismissed the plea filed by the Indian envoy, while claiming that Jadhav was caught red-handed while carrying out espionage for India’s external intelligence organisation, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), and that he also confessed to the charges. But New Delhi has termed the charges “concocted”. Pak media reports say Ms Janjua turned down Mr Bamba-wale’s demand, saying “access under (bilateral) agreement is meant for prisoners and not for spies”. In New Delhi, the Indian government said Mr Jaishankar met Pakistan high commissioner Abdul Basit (in New Delhi) on Tuesday “and made similar points” to what the Indian envoy raised in Islamabad.

In a statement, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) said, “The High Commissioner of India to Pakistan today met the Pakistan foreign secretary and handed over a petition by the mother of Jadhav to Pakistan. Also handed over was an appeal by the mother to the Court of Appeal, on behalf of Jadhav, who continues to be in detention in Pakistan on concocted charges. His mother has requested Pakistan’s intervention for his release and has expressed the desire to meet him.”

The MEA added, “Pakistan was also requested to facilitate visas for the mother and father of Mr Jadhav. They wish to meet him and also to personally file the petition and the appeal. They have applied for necessary visas with the Pakistan high commission in New Delhi. Request for consular access to Mr Jadhav was made by the government, for the 16th time. The Indian foreign secretary had also met the high commissioner of Pakistan to India yesterday and made similar points.”

Before Wednesday, India had earlier placed a whopping 15 requests for consular access to Jadhav but did not get a favourable response from Islamabad. The Pakistan Army has already rejected any chance of granting consular access to Jadhav.