Live Updates: After meet with family, Pak releases Kulbhushan Jadhav video, alleges he tried to 'destabalise' country
Kulbhushan Jadhav, who was sentenced to death by a Pakistan military court on charges of 'espionage' and 'subversive activities', was finally allowed to meet his mother and wife after a long and arduous 22-month wait.
- Dec 25, 2017,
- Updated Dec 25, 2017 5:36 PM IST
Kulbhushan Jadhav, who was sentenced to death by a Pakistan military court on charges of 'espionage' and 'subversive activities', was finally allowed to meet his mother and wife after a long and arduous 22-month wait.
The incarcerated former Indian Navy officer can be seen meeting with his kin in photos released by the Pakistani government. The images show Jadhav sitting behind a glass wall with his mother and wife sitting on the other side.
5pm: Jadhav travelled out of the country 17 times on a fake passport, says Mohd. Faisal.
4.59pm: The glass barrier was put up between the accused and hisfamily during the meeting for the sake of security and the Indian officialswere already informed about that in advance, says Faisal.
4.54pm: Pakistan had asked Indian officials to allow Jadhav's mother and wife to interact with media but they denied, says Faisal.
4.42pm: We extended the meeting by 10 minutes on request of Jadhav and his wife, says Mohd. Faisal.
4.40pm: The meeting was not a consular access, but we had categorically said that Indian officials would be present and could hear everything but not more than that.
4.35pm: Faisal alleges Jadhav, at the behest of Indian intelligence agency RAW, was involved in several espionage activities to "destabalise" Pakistan.
4.30pm: The meeting between 'commander' Kulbhushan Yadav and his family was a gesture of good faith, says Mohammed Faisal, spokesperson, Foreign Ministery, Pakistan.
4.28pm: A new video of Kulbhushan Jadhav released by the Pakistan foreign ministry shows him saying he "requested a meeting with my wife and mother and I am thankful to Govt of Pakistan for this grand gesture".
JP Singh, India's Deputy High Commissioner to Pakistan, can also be seen standing around the meeting spot. Jadhav has been imprisoned in a Pakistani jail ever since his arrest last year.
The meeting took place at the Pakistan Foreign Office in Islamabad, where Jadhav's emotional mother and wife were seen getting out of a car after arriving at the meet location from the Indian embassy. Kulbhushan Jadhav's kin is likely to head back to India soon after the meeting. They will be heading to Oman in the evening and then catch a flight to India.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said death row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav has been granted 'consular access' by allowing the presence of an Indian diplomat during the meeting with his family.
Indian officials, however, downplayed the comments by the Pakistani minister, maintaining that the Indian diplomat was only accompanying Jadhav's family and it cannot be construed as "consular access".
Asif, however, said Indian Deputy High Commissioner J P Singh accompanying Jadhav's wife and mother could be considered "consular access".
While the masterminds of horrific Mumbai attack are yet to face any kind of justice in Pakistan, Kulbhushan Jadhav was arrested and sentenced in less than a year in a closed-door trial by a military court.
ICJ, in May this year, not only stayed Kulbhushan Jadhav's death sentence till the final verdict but also said that Pakistan should grant India the consular access so that India could offer all possible help to Kulbhushan Jadhav.
The International Court of Justice instructed Pakistan to take all "necessary measures at its disposal" to ensure that Jadhav was not executed pending a final decision by it, the ICJ had said.
Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal said more than once that the decision to allow Jadhav to meet his family was taken on "humanitarian grounds". He made no reference to "consular access".
Pakistan claims its security forces arrested Jadhav alias Hussein Mubarak Patel from its restive Balochistan province on March 3 last year after he reportedly entered from Iran.
India and Iran maintain that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Indian Navy.
Kulbhushan Jadhav, who was sentenced to death by a Pakistan military court on charges of 'espionage' and 'subversive activities', was finally allowed to meet his mother and wife after a long and arduous 22-month wait.
The incarcerated former Indian Navy officer can be seen meeting with his kin in photos released by the Pakistani government. The images show Jadhav sitting behind a glass wall with his mother and wife sitting on the other side.
5pm: Jadhav travelled out of the country 17 times on a fake passport, says Mohd. Faisal.
4.59pm: The glass barrier was put up between the accused and hisfamily during the meeting for the sake of security and the Indian officialswere already informed about that in advance, says Faisal.
4.54pm: Pakistan had asked Indian officials to allow Jadhav's mother and wife to interact with media but they denied, says Faisal.
4.42pm: We extended the meeting by 10 minutes on request of Jadhav and his wife, says Mohd. Faisal.
4.40pm: The meeting was not a consular access, but we had categorically said that Indian officials would be present and could hear everything but not more than that.
4.35pm: Faisal alleges Jadhav, at the behest of Indian intelligence agency RAW, was involved in several espionage activities to "destabalise" Pakistan.
4.30pm: The meeting between 'commander' Kulbhushan Yadav and his family was a gesture of good faith, says Mohammed Faisal, spokesperson, Foreign Ministery, Pakistan.
4.28pm: A new video of Kulbhushan Jadhav released by the Pakistan foreign ministry shows him saying he "requested a meeting with my wife and mother and I am thankful to Govt of Pakistan for this grand gesture".
JP Singh, India's Deputy High Commissioner to Pakistan, can also be seen standing around the meeting spot. Jadhav has been imprisoned in a Pakistani jail ever since his arrest last year.
The meeting took place at the Pakistan Foreign Office in Islamabad, where Jadhav's emotional mother and wife were seen getting out of a car after arriving at the meet location from the Indian embassy. Kulbhushan Jadhav's kin is likely to head back to India soon after the meeting. They will be heading to Oman in the evening and then catch a flight to India.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said death row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav has been granted 'consular access' by allowing the presence of an Indian diplomat during the meeting with his family.
Indian officials, however, downplayed the comments by the Pakistani minister, maintaining that the Indian diplomat was only accompanying Jadhav's family and it cannot be construed as "consular access".
Asif, however, said Indian Deputy High Commissioner J P Singh accompanying Jadhav's wife and mother could be considered "consular access".
While the masterminds of horrific Mumbai attack are yet to face any kind of justice in Pakistan, Kulbhushan Jadhav was arrested and sentenced in less than a year in a closed-door trial by a military court.
ICJ, in May this year, not only stayed Kulbhushan Jadhav's death sentence till the final verdict but also said that Pakistan should grant India the consular access so that India could offer all possible help to Kulbhushan Jadhav.
The International Court of Justice instructed Pakistan to take all "necessary measures at its disposal" to ensure that Jadhav was not executed pending a final decision by it, the ICJ had said.
Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal said more than once that the decision to allow Jadhav to meet his family was taken on "humanitarian grounds". He made no reference to "consular access".
Pakistan claims its security forces arrested Jadhav alias Hussein Mubarak Patel from its restive Balochistan province on March 3 last year after he reportedly entered from Iran.
India and Iran maintain that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Indian Navy.