Kulbhushan not eligible for consular access says ex army chief

Islamabad : The Pakistan Army has ruled out any consular access to alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav, saying he is not eligible for it as per the laws.

"Kulbhushan is not eligible for consular access nor will be granted consular access," said Pakistan Armed Forces spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor.

He alleged that Jadhav, caught on anti-state activities, was trialed under court martial. "This was purely an act by the Army to which the Army as an institution said we will not compromise on his sentence," he said.

Major General Ghafoor said Jadhav's death sentence process will move ahead as per the law, adding it will go in the applet court and the army shall wait for the verdict.

Asserting that Jadhav was sentenced on undeniable evidence, Major General Ghafoor said the Pakistan Army will defend their case with all resources in light of the undeniable evidence if questioned on any of the forum.

The Pakistan Army had earlier said there will be 'no compromise' on the issue of death sentence awarded to Jadhav. Jadhav was awarded the death penalty on April 10 in an unprecedented decision that sparked a diplomatic spat between the two hostile neighbours.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa have agreed not to come under pressure from India over the issue.

During a meeting, the Army Chief took the Prime Minister into confidence regarding Jadhav. 

Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has warned Islamabad that it risked damaging bilateral ties with New Delhi if it went ahead with the execution of Jadhav.

Jadhav was arrested in March last year in the restive Balochistan province and accused of being a Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) agent. India has, however, so far categorically denied such charges.