India on Friday decided to call off the upcoming maritime security dialogue with Pakistan, as tension between the two continues to grow over the death sentence Islamabad handed out to formal Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav. A delegation led by Pakistan’s Maritime Security Agency was scheduled to visit New Delhi for four days from April 16, reported PTI.
Meanwhile, Pakistan announced that it will submit a new dossier with “fresh evidence” implicating Jadhav to the United Nations, ANI reported.
Indian Coast Guard officials said the Defence Ministry had denied the delegation clearance for the visit. India has also conveyed the message to Pakistan, according to The Economic Times. Spokesperson for the Pakistan High Commission Khawaja Maaz Tariq told the daily that the meeting had been rescheduled. “The Indian High Commission in Islamabad has conveyed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the MSA-ICG meeting scheduled to be held in Delhi has been postponed,” Tariq added.
The talks between the Indian Coast Guard and Pakistan’s Maritime Security Agency has been a routine exercise since 2005. At the meet, officials from both countries exchange information, discuss strategy and formulate plans to curb and combat marine pollution and trafficking.
India’s stand on the dialogue comes a day after Pakistan denied consular access to Jadhav for the 14th time. On Friday, New Delhi had sought a copy of the chargesheet filed against and the death sentence handed out to Jadhav and said that it would appeal against the order. Pakistan has accused the former naval officer of spying in the country for Indian intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing.
Meanwhile, the Lahore High Court Bar Association on Friday said it would take action against any lawyer who defended Jadhav. “The association has unanimously decided to cancel the membership of any lawyer who offers his services to Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav,” the organisation’s Secretary General Amer Saeed Raan had said.
New Delhi has maintained that it would treat Jadhav’s sentencing as murder if Islamabad went ahead with the execution. “We have given a strong message to the authorities in Pakistan that the way in which the verdict has been given by the Army court is not transparent and not in accordance with bilateral relations between the two nations,” Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre had said.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!