ISLAMABAD – Pakistan said it would grant consular access to an allegedIndian spy on death row Monday, weeks after the International Court ofJustice called for a review of his sentence in a case that has stokedtensions between the nuclear-armed rivals.
“Consular access for Indian spy Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav, a servingIndian naval officer and RAW operative, is being provided on Monday 2September 2019,” tweeted foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Faisal lateSunday.
A senior Indian government official confirmed the meeting, and told AFPthat New Delhi hoped “Pakistan will ensure right atmosphere so that themeeting is free, fair, meaningful and effective in keeping with the letterand spirit of the ICJ orders”.
The decision comes weeks after the ICJ in July ordered Islamabad to providethe prisoner with consular access but rejected India’s demand that Jadhavbe freed.
The former Indian naval officer was arrested in March 2016 in Pakistan’srestive southwestern province of Balochistan — a region where Islamabadhas long accused New Delhi of backing separatist rebels.
According to Indian officials, Jadhav retired from the navy in 2001 and wasrunning a “logistics” business in the Iranian port of Chabahar.
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New Delhi insists he was taken captive in Iran before being moved toPakistan and then forced to confess.
Tensions have soared between the arch-rivals in recent weeks followingPrime Minister Narendra Modi’s move last month to revoke the autonomy ofits portion of the disputed Kashmir region.
In response Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has launched a diplomaticoffensive against India and led mass protests lambasting Modi.
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since independence, andhas been the spark for two major wars and countless skirmishes between therivals. -APP/AFP
