Pakistan issues visa to Kulbhushan Jadhav’s wife, mother; family to meet on December 25

The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi on Wednesday issued visas to the mother and wife of death row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav to meet him in Islamabad on December 25. Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal confirmed in a tweet that the visas have been issued. Jadhav, a former Indian Navy officer, was arrested in Pakistan on espionage charges.

“Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi issued the visas to the mother and wife of Commander Jadhav to visit Islamabad to meet him, today,” Faisal tweeted. This comes days after Pakistan had rejected India’s plea for consular access to Jadhav at the ICJ, claiming that New Delhi wants the access to get the information gathered by its “spy”. In its counter-memorial submitted to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Pakistan said the provision of such an access under the Vienna Convention is only for legitimate visitors and not for spies, a media report said.

While Pakistan claims that Jadhav was arrested by security forces from Balochistan province on March 3 last year after he reportedly entered from Iran, the Indian side maintains he was kidnapped from Iran where he developed business after retiring from the Navy. He was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court. The execution was, however, halted by the International Court of Justice on India’s appeal.

Pakistan which has repeatedly denied India consular access to Jadhav agreed to let him meet his wife on “humanitarian grounds.” Jadhav’s mother and wife will be traveling to Pakistan on December 25 to meet him. An Indian envoy would be allowed to accompany the visitors in Islamabad.

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