India asks Pakistan to guarantee that Kulbhushan Jadhav’s wife and mother will not be harassed
New Delhi also told Islamabad that an Indian diplomat has to be allowed to accompany the women at all times, MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.
Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar on Thursday said India had responded positively to Pakistan’s offer to arrange a meeting between Kulbhushan Jadhav – a former Indian Navy officer sentenced to death by Pakistan for espionage – and his wife.
Kumar spelled out the conditions India has put forward around the 14.27 mark in the video of his weekly press briefing.
The diplomat said India wanted Jadhav’s mother to accompany his wife and asked Pakistan to ensure the safety and security of the two women. It also told Islamabad that they should not be questioned or harassed during their stay.
India also wants a diplomat from the Indian High Commission to be allowed to accompany them at all times, Kumar added.
We have further asked that a diplomat from our High Commission in Pakistan, shall be allowed to accompany them at all times, including during the meeting: Raveesh Kumar, MEA Spox
— ANI (@ANI) November 23, 2017
The International Court of Justice in May stayed Jadhav’s execution and told Pakistan to provide Jadhav consular access. Islamabad has not complied with the directive so far. A month later, the judicial body asked India to submit its arguments by September 13. Pakistan has time till December 13 to respond.
On November 10, Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said it had decided to arrange a meeting between Jadhav and his wife in the country “on purely humanitarian grounds”.