Jadhav's wife, mother to visit Pak on Dec 25

Islamabad: Kulbhushan Jadhav’s wife and mother will visit Pakistan on December 25 to meet the Indian prisoner on death row, Pakistan’s foreign office said today. They will arrive by a commercial flight on December 25 and leave the same day. Indian deputy high commissioner will be the accompanying diplomat.

“India informs that the mother and wife of Commander Jadhav will arrive by commercial flight on 25 Dec and leave the same day. Indian DHC in Islamabad will be the accompanying diplomat,” Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal tweeted.

Pakistan on December 20 issued visa to Jadhav’s wife and mother to visit Islamabad to meet him. Pakistan had agreed that a diplomat from the Indian high commission in Islamabad would accompany the visitors.

Jadhav, 47, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism in April, following which India moved the ICJ in May. The ICJ halted his execution on India’s appeal pending the final verdict by it.

Jadhav’s family had applied for visas last week. Pakistan has repeatedly denied India consular access to Jadhav on the ground that it was not applicable in cases related to spies.

It said that Jadhav is not an ordinary person as he had entered the country with the intent of spying and carrying out sabotage activities.

Pakistan claims its security forces arrested Jadhav alias Hussein Mubarak Patel from its restive Balochistan province on March 3 last year after he reportedly entered from Iran.

India, however, maintains that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Indian Navy.