Sushma Swaraj alleges Pakistan used Jadhav’s family meeting as propaganda tool

Indian Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj has accused Pakistan of using convicted Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav’s family meeting as propaganda tool.

In her report to the Rajya Sabha - the upper house of India's parliament, she said that Pakistan had violated many human rights. Listing down the violations heatedly, she said that Jadhav’s mother Avanti Jadhav and wife Chetankul had been made to look like widows when they had been told to remove their mangalsutra, bangles and bindi. They were also made to change their attire and Chetankul was asked to change her shoes, local media reported.

She added that Pakistan’s statement of detecting ‘metallic substance’ in Chetankul shoes was an ‘absurdity beyond any measure’. Swaraj further said that Jadhav's mother was not allowed to speak in Marathi and the authorities repeatedly stopped her from speaking it and then switched off the intercom when she continued to speak in Marathi.

Pakistan rejects Indian allegations about visit of Commander Jadhav’s wife, mother

According to Indian media, Swaraj said that they are seeking to get permanent relief from International Court Justice, which has stayed Jadhav's execution.

According to local media reports, Jadhav confessed to his family during the meeting that he was involved in terrorism in Pakistan and had engineered a spate of terror attacks on Pakistani soil. However, Sawraj has said that confessions made by Jadhav to his family during their visit were made under duress.

Jadhav met his mother and wife in Islamabad on December 25. It was their first meeting since his arrest from Balochistan last year on charges of espionage and terrorism. The family meeting lasted almost 40 minutes through a glass partition.