Kulbhushan Jadhav meeting with wife is Indian diplomatic victory: Indian officials

Kulbhushan Jadhav meeting with wife is Indian diplomatic victory: Indian officials

JAMMU: Indian Union minister Jitendra Singh said that Pakistan's decision to allow Kulbhushan Jadhav to meet his wife was a reflection of the efficacy of the Indian diplomatic outreach and its acceptance around the world.


"I think this is a compliment to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This (development) is certainly a compliment to the efficacy of India's diplomatic outreach," he told reporters.


Pakistan's Foreign Office said that Jadhav would be allowed to meet his wife on Pakistani soil. The move came months after New Delhi requested Islamabad to allow Jadhav's mother to meet him on humanitarian grounds.


Jadhav, a former Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court in April on charges of spying and terrorism. In May, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) had halted his execution on India's appeal.


India's viewpoint is now gaining more and more acceptance across the world, from even those countries which were earlier hesitant or had their own reasons not to accept it," the minister of state in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said.


Replying to a question on separatists in the Valley seeking Pakistan's involvement in any dialogue to resolve the Kashmir issue, Singh said the decision to hold talks with the neighbouring country was the prerogative of the external affairs and home ministries.


"None of us has the mandate to decide on that," he said.


However, he said, the separatists stand exposed before the Valley's youth, who have decided to become a part of the Indian development journey. He said 19 young boys and girls qualified for IIT from terror-striken districts of Kashmir this year.