After wife, India asks Pakistan to allow Kulbhushan Jadhav meet mother

India has refused to send wife of Indian death row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav, alone to visit the Indian navy officer in Pakistan, requesting Islamabad to grant travel permit to his mother also.

Pakistan on Saturday said it is "considering" India's request to let Kulbhushan Jadhav's mother meet him, apart from his wife who has already received permission to visit the Indian death row prisoner.

Pakistan's Foreign Office said on Friday that Jadhav would be allowed to meet his wife on Pakistani soil. The move came months after New Delhi requested Islamabad to allow Jadhav's mother to meet him on humanitarian grounds.

In a rare move, Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court in April on charges of espionage and terrorism.

Pakistan has repeatedly denied India consular access to Jadhav on the ground that it was not applicable in cases related to spies. Jadhav has filed an appeal with Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa to seek clemency, which is still pending.

Last month, the Pakistan Army had said it is close to a decision on the mercy petition of Jadhav. Pakistan claims its security forces arrested him from restive Balochistan province on March 3 last year after he reportedly entered from Iran. However, India maintains that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Navy.

Jadhav's sentencing had evoked a sharp reaction in India. After India approached the ICJ, a 10-member bench on May 18 restrained Pakistan from executing Jadhav till adjudication of the case. The ICJ has asked Pakistan to submit its response or memorial by December 13 before the court could start further proceedings in the case.

OneIndia News