Pak sentences death penalty for 'Indian spy'; But India treats Pakistani spy with courtesy

Sajeed Muneer was jailed for 12 years for espionage but after his release, Pakistan did not respond to extradition requests by the Indian Government. (Image: ANI)

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): On one hand Kulbhushan Jadhav and Sarabjit Singh were tormented by Pakistan on a flimsy basis that they were Indian spies, but here the Bhopal Police has been feeding and sheltering a Pakistani spy named Sajeed Muneer for almost a year after his release from jail. Muneer was jailed for 12 years for espionage but after his release, Pakistan did not respond to extradition requests by the Indian Government. By default, he became the Bhopal Police's responsibility and the District Special Branch (DSB) has been taking care of him for 10 months now. The DSB pays for his food and other necessities. Superintendent of Police Rajesh Bhadoria said since the time of his conviction every angle is being discussed related to the issue but Pakistan is delaying the process of deporting. "On June 4 last year, his conviction was completed and it was a 12 year conviction. In between the deporting process, he was kept in the detention centre, as those who are not from India they are kept in that centre," he said. He added that police officials are in constant contact with the Pakistan embassy and the process of councilor access, where embassies of both the countries did the verification of Sajeed Muneer has been done. "The Bhopal Police arrested him in May 2004 when he was collecting some official secret material from the army regiment. That time he was impersonating himself as an Indian national. He has been current put in Shahjahanabad police station's detention centre," Bhadoria said. Investigations revealed that Muneer was lured by the ISI while he was on a hideout after a murder case. He had murdered a Karachi youth to avenge his brother's killing. Meanwhile Mumbai BJP on Tuesday expressed support for Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav, awarded death penalty by a Pakistan military court, and said the Centre should intervene and ensure he gets relief. A delegation of the party's city unit met Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and submitted a letter in which it sought justice for the 46-year-old retired Navy officer, convicted of "espionage and sabotage activities". Jadhav, who hails from Maharashtra, was "arrested" on March 3 last year by Pakistan security officials allegedly in Balochistan which, they said, he entered from Iran. He was sentenced to death by a military court in a secret trial and Pakistan's army chief yesterday approved his execution. "The Union Government should intervene and come to his relief. He deserves justice, which we feel, has been denied to him. We support Jadhav and appeal to the Chief Minister to communicate our sentiments to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj," said the letter. The delegation was led by Mumbai BJP President Ashish Shelar. He later said Fadnavis informed the delegation that he has spoken to Swaraj about the issue. A group of people, led by Congress leader Shehzad Poonawalla, on Tuesday protested outside the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi against the death sentence awarded to Kulbhushan Jadhav. The protesters, numbered around 18-20, arrived outside the Pakistan High Commission around 10.30 AM and were detained and taken to Chankayapuri police station, said a senior police officer.