ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has offered India third consular access to the convicted spy Kulbhushan Jadhav following New Delhi's "reservations" over the earlier access given to two Indian consular officers on Thursday.
Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui Friday confirmed that the government of Pakistan had offered India a third consular access to the convicted Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav, adding that a response from New Delhi was awaited.
In a statement on Thursday, the Foreign Office said that two consular officers of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad were provided "unimpeded and uninterrupted" consular access to Commander Jadhav, adding that Pakistan remains committed to fully implementing the International Court of Justice (ICJ)'s judgment of 17 July 2019.
However, in a statement in New Delhi, Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava stated that the consular officers were not given "unimpeded, unhindered and unconditional" access to Jadhav.
He said that on the basis of the assurance given by the Pakistani Foreign Ministry, two consular officers of the High Commission proceeded to the meeting with Jadhav. "Regrettably however, neither the environment nor the arrangements of the meeting were in accordance with the assurances of Pakistan...The Consular Officers were not given unimpeded, unhindered and unconditional access to Jadhav", he maintained.
He added: "The arrangements did not permit a free conversation between them. The consular officers could not engage Jadhav on his legal rights and were prevented from obtaining his written consent for arranging his legal representation".
"In the light of these circumstances, the Indian Consular Officers came to the conclusion that the consular access being offered by Pakistan was neither meaningful nor credible. After lodging a protest, they left the venue," the Indian MEA spokesperson added.
Pakistan provided the first consular access under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (VCCR) 1963 earlier on 2 September 2019. The mother and wife of Commander Jadhav were also allowed to meet him on 25 December 2017.
Commander Jadhav is in Pakistan's custody following his arrest from Balochistan in a counter-intelligence operation on 3 March 2016. During investigation, Jadhav confessed to his involvement in terrorist activities inside Pakistan that resulted in loss of many precious human lives.
In a statement on Friday, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who resumed his official responsibilities following complete recovery from COVID-19, said that Pakistan provided India consular access to its spy Kulbhushan Jadhav on Thursday, "but the Indian diplomats avoided talking to him".
He said India's ill intentions had been exposed as it did not want access to its spy. Qureshi also lambasted India's policies and its approach to the regional countries, adding that there was a tension between India and Nepal, and the cordiality in India-Bangladesh relationship had also reduced.
The foreign minister further said that Iran's inclusion in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and peace in Afghanistan would benefit every country of the region. "This is a jolt for India," he said, adding that India wanted to isolate Pakistan, "but it itself has been isolated". He further said that the Indian opposition parties were also criticising the BJP government.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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