Pakistan yet to respond to India’s demand for chargesheet copy, sentence against Kulbhushan Jadhav
The Ministry of External Affairs said Delhi had asked for the documents on Friday, but has not got a reply from Islamabad yet.
The External Affairs Ministry on Sunday said India had yet to receive the document it had sought from Pakistan in connection with the death sentence awarded to former Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav, reported PTI. Delhi had asked for a certified copy of the chargesheet and the military court order in the case, besides consular access to Jadhav.
“We have sought from the Foreign Ministry [of Pakistan] a certified copy of the chargesheet as well as the judgement in the death sentence of Jadhav,” ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said. “But there is no response yet from Pakistan’s side.” He said India had asked for the documents on Friday when Indian High Commissioner Gautam Bambawale met Pakistani Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua to talk about the case. Islamabad has denied the consular access to Jadhav sought by Delhi.
Even though Pakistan had said that Jadhav could appeal against the sentence, the Lahore High Court Bar Association on Friday said that it would take action against any lawyer who defended Jadhav. Earlier, the Minister of State for Defence, Subhash Bhamre, had said that India was piling diplomatic pressure on Pakistan to release Jadhav and that if the neighbouring country went ahead with his execution, Delhi would treat it as “premeditated murder”.
Jadhav was arrested in Pakistan in March 2016. Pakistan had accused Jadhav of having entered the country through Iran and helping Baloch separatists. It had charged him with terrorism, sabotage and violating the country’s Foreigner Act. After his arrest, the Pakistani Army had released what they claimed was a “confessional video”.