The Indian-American community in United States has launched a petition seeking the administration’s intervention in the Kulbhushan Jadhav row. The petition, created by someone named SS on April 14, argues that the espionage charges, based on which a Pakistan military court had given Jadhav the death sentence, are “false and baseless”.

The petition requires at least 100,000 signatures before May 14 to be considered by the administration, reported PTI. As of Friday afternoon, there were 2,119 signatures. “I humbly request appropriate and capable authorities to intervene in the matter and make sure that Jadhav doesn’t get punished for the act which he never committed,” reads the petition.

The petitioner also points out that Pakistan has denied India consular access to Jadhav. “[It] clearly proves the point that the charges over which death sentence is awarded to Jadhav are false and fabricated,” says the petition.

Pakistan had arrested Jadhav in March 2016 on accusations of having entered the country through Iran and helping Baloch separatists, while working for India’s intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing. Jadhav was charged 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”.

New Delhi has maintained that it will treat Jadhav’s sentencing as murder if Islamabad goes ahead with the execution. “The way in which the verdict has been given by the [Pakistani] Army court is not transparent and not in accordance with bilateral relations between the two nations,” Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre had said.