Kulbhushan Jadhav’s mother and wife will meet him in Pakistan on December 25, Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said on Friday. Jadhav, a former Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by Pakistan on charges of espionage.
An official from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad will also be allowed to be present at the meeting, reported India Today. India and Pakistan have been in talks after Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said on November 10 that it had decided to arrange a meeting between Jadhav and his wife “on purely humanitarian grounds”.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said that the government of Pakistan has tole the Indian government that they will provide visa to Jadhav’s wife and his mother Avantika Jadhav, reported ANI.
On November 23, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India had responded positively to Pakistan’s offer. Kumar had said India wanted Jadhav’s mother to accompany his wife and asked Pakistan to ensure the safety and security of the two women. It also told Islamabad that they should not be questioned or harassed during their stay.
The International Court of Justice in May had stayed Jadhav’s execution and told Pakistan to provide Jadhav consular access. Islamabad has not complied with the directive so far. A month later, the judicial body asked India to submit its arguments by September 13. Pakistan has time till December 13 to respond.
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