Jadhav's wife to accompany mother-in-law to meet him: MEA
23 Nov 2017 1:09 PM GMT
New Delhi : The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said it had conveyed to Pakistan that former Indian Naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav's wife would travel with her mother-in-law to meet him.
India has also sought the guarantee of their safety and security from the Pakistan Government.
"In our response, we have conveyed that Jadhav's wife would like to travel with her mother-in-law for the meeting. We have also sought sovereign guarantee from the Pakistan Government to ensure safety, and security of both. Also, during their stay in Pakistan they should not be questioned, or harassed," MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.
"We have further asked that a diplomat from our High Commission in Pakistan shall be allowed to accompany them at all times, including during the meeting," he added.
The Pakistan Government had decided to arrange a meeting of Jadhav with his wife, purely on humanitarian grounds.
A Note Verbale, a diplomatic note that is drafted in third person and is unsigned, with this regard was sent to the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.
Pakistan had, on Saturday, confirmed that India's response to its 'Humanitarian offer' for Jadhav was received and was being considered.
"Indian Reply to Pakistan's Humanitarian offer for Commander Jadhav received & is being considered," Pakistan's Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Mohammad Faisal tweeted.
Jadhav was arrested in Balochistan, Pakistan, over charges of alleged involvement in espionage and subversive activities for India's intelligence agency - the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).
India, however, maintains that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Indian Navy.
On April 10, 2017, Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Field General Court Martial (FGCM) in Pakistan.
On May 18, 2017, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) stayed the hanging, after India approached it against the death sentence. India has appealed to the court to impose emergency measures for Jadhav's execution to be suspended until the legal battle in Hague concludes, while also accusing Pakistan of violating the Vienna Convention by failing to provide him with consular access and for being in breach of international human rights law.
To this end, India's written response was submitted to registrar Philippe Couvreur of the ICJ. Pakistan will submit counter memorial on or before December 13, 2017.
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