Making India’s stance clear on the Kulbhushan Jadhav issue, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Gopal Baglay has said that Jadhav “is an innocent Indian who was kidnapped and taken to Pakistan”.
Responding to questions about Jadhav’s condition, he added:
Have no information about where the Pakistani authorities have kept him. We have made 13 requests to Pakistan for consular access, but since they were denied, we cannot comment on his current location or condition.
He also said that the “entire country is concerned about Kulbhushan Jadhav” and the government is doing all it can and will even go out of its way to bring him back to India.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh also echoed MEA’s statement. Speaking to the media, he said:
The Indian government will go to any extent to ensure justice to Kulbhushan Jadhav.
Pak Flouting International Laws: MEA
The MEA spokesperson also attacked the Pakistani authorities for flouting international laws and lack of transparency in the Kulbhushan Jadhav trial.
Baglay alleged that “the case proceedings in the Pakistani military court have been carried out in a farcical manner which is against the basic nature of international diplomacy”.
Kulbhushan Jadhav is a retired officer of the Indian Navy. He is an innocent Indian who was kidnapped and taken to Pakistan and we had conveyed the same to the Pakistani authorities... Pakistan denying consular access to him is against International laws and only shows there is no sufficient proof against Jadhav.Gopal Baglay, Spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs
Jadhav is on death row in Pakistan after a Pakistani military court on Monday convicted him of sabotage and terrorism-related charges.
The issue has triggered fresh tension in India-Pakistan ties and New Delhi has warned Islamabad of the "consequences" Jadhav's hanging could have on their ties.
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