The Pakistan intelligence services (ISI) had arrested Kulbhushan Jadhav, an Indian National and ex Navy commander on 3rd March 2016 on Terrorism charges alleging that he was carrying out subversive activities inside Pakistan on the behest of RA&W (Indian Intelligence agency). He was arrested from Balochistan during a counter-intelligence operation, as claimed by Pakistan, and was sentenced to death in a field general court martial on April 10th 2017. However, an Ex-ISI officer exposed Pakistan’s lie and confirmed tat Jadhav was abducted from Iran and not from Balochistan, as asserted by India.
India, in a particularly aggressive and timely manoeuvre, approached the International court of Justice and got a stay on Kulbhushan Jadhav’s execution on 18th May 2017.
After several requests for consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav was denied by Pakistan, it finally conceded not to consular access, but letting Kulbhushan’s family meet him in Islamabad.
A day after his family met Jadhav, the MEA has come out with a strong statement condemning Pakistan for the inhuman treatment met out to his family.
Ministry of External Affairs said that the meeting was conducted in a manner that violated the letter and spirit of the understanding between India and Pakistan.
MEA said that the Pakistani Press was allowed to harass and heckle Jadhav’s family and hurl baseless accusations at them despite the agreement that media would not be allowed close access to the family. The Pakistani officials offended the cultural and religious sensibilities of the family by removing Mangalsutra, bindi, and bangles. They also made them change their attire under the pretext of security precautions.
The Pakistani officials also stopped Jadhav’s mother from speaking in her mother tongue. She was repeatedly interrupted and eventually, prevented from speaking to Jadhav altogether.
The family was taken to meet Mr. Jadhav without the presence of the Indian Deputy High Commissioner. Even after the Deputy High Commissioner was taken to the room, after insisting that he does, he was kept behind an additional partition and refused access to the family.
The intent to humiliate was such, that even Kulbhushan Jadhav’s wife’s shoes were not returned to her after the meeting was over.
The MEA also revealed that Mr. Jadhav was speaking in an extremely stressful environment and most of his answers seemed tutored. The atmosphere of the entire meeting was overall intimidating despite Pakistan assuring otherwise.
The statement concluded by saying that in the aftermath of the marring it is clear that this atmosphere was created to bolster a false and unsubstantiated narrative of Mr. Jadhav’s alleged activities and the entire exercise lacked credibility on Pakistan’s part.
