Indian-Americans stage #ChappalChorPakistan protest in Washington

One must note that US -Pakistan ties are at an all time low, with President Donald Trump repeatedly dropping hints that he would stop all aid to Islamabad.

The outrage against Pakistan over the treatment meted out to Kulbhushan Jadhav's wife and mother when they visited Islamabad on December 25 to meet him is not limited just to India. A group of Indian-Americans and Balochs held a protest outside Pakistan embassy in Washington over the misbehaviour.

The protestors carried placards with '#ChappalChorPakistan' and 'in solidarity Kulbhushan's family' written on them. They also carried pictures of Kulbhushan Jadhav's wife and mother meeting him in Ismalabad last month with a glass partition in between.

The protestors seemed to be sending a message to the US administration to sever ties with Pakistan. One must note that US -Pakistan ties are at an all-time low, with President Donald Trump repeatedly dropping hints that he would stop all aid to Islamabad.

"Pakistan's narrow-mindedness was exposed with how they treated Kulbhushan Jadhav's mother and wife, what policymakers and people here need to understand is that Pakistan as a whole is also being run with same narrow-minded mentality," one of the protestors told news agency ANI.

Protest outside Pakistan embassy in Washington

Kulbhushan Jadhav has been in the Pakistani jail since April 2016 over allegations of being an Indian spy. On what Pakistan claimed was a humanitarian gesture, Jadhav's mother and wife were issued visas and allowed to meet him on December 25.

#ChappalChorPakistan on placards

The meeting did not turn out to be the way Jadhav's family may have expected. There was a glass partition between Jadhav and his family, and his wife and the mother were asked to remove mangalsutra, bangles and bindi, besides been asked to change the attire, citing it as a security measure. Pakistani officials also confiscated Jadhav's wife's shoes and did not return it.

Protest to express solidarity with Jadhav's family

"When they stole the chappal of a woman who was in distress, I hope they use these also. I want to say one thing- Pakistan ka matlab kya? Amreeka se dollar la, Hindustan ke joote kha! (What does Pakistan mean, take dollars from US and shoes from India)," said another protestor in Washington.

Shoes kept to embarrass Pakistan

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on December 28 tore into Pakistan for confiscating the shoes of Kulbhushan Jadhav's wife when she visited Islamabad to meet him. Swaraj asked if something really suspicious was there in the footwear then why nothing was detected by the security check of Emirates Airline, which she took from Dubai to Islamabad.

(Images credit - ANI/Twitter)

The minister told the House that Kulbhushan Jadhav's mother was not allowed to speak in Marathi, their mother tongue and that Pakistani officials switched-off the intercom when she spoke in Marathi.

OneIndia had in July 2017, carried a story confirming that Jadhav was captured in Iran by the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Khorasan and then sold to the ISI in Pakistan. This revelation was made Baloch activist, Mehrab Sarjov.

OneIndia News