Pakistan's army chief approved the execution of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav after a military court sentenced him to death for "espionage and sabotage activities", evoking a sharp reaction from India, which described the move as "premeditated murder".
The incident is expected to further deteriorate already strained Indo-Pak ties which were hit after deadly attacks in Pathankot and Uri by Pakistan-based terrorists.
The death sentence to Jadhav, 46, was confirmed by army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa after the Field General Court Martial (FGCM) found him guilty of "all the charges", said the military's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
Reacting strongly, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar in New Delhi summoned Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit, and gave a démarche, which said the proceedings that have led to the sentence against Jadhav are "farcical in the absence of any credible evidence" against him.
He said Jadhav was kidnapped in 2016 from Iran, and his subsequent presence in Pakistan has never been "explained credibly".
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