‘India Will Not Get Second Consular Access To Kulbhushan Jadhav,’ Says Pakistan

"There would be no second consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav," said Dr Mohammad Faisal, spokesperson, Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Indian Charge d' Affaires Gaurav Ahluwalia met Kulbhushan Jadhav on September 2 at a Pakistani sub-jail for over an hour, after Islamabad granted consular access to the Indian national, on September 2.

Islamabad: Days after Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav met with Indian Charge d' Affaires Gaurav Ahluwalia under first consular access, Pakistan said that India would not get second consular access to Jadhav. "There would be no second consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav," said Dr Mohammad Faisal, spokesperson, Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign office, said on Thursday. The retired Indian Navy officer was sentenced to death by a military court on the basis of extracted confession of "espionage and terrorism" following a closed trial in April 2017. Ahluwalia met Kulbhushan Jadhav on September 2 at a Pakistani sub-jail for over an hour, after Islamabad granted consular access to the Indian national in line with the International Court of Justice directions. It was a recorded meeting. The meeting between the senior Indian diplomat and Jadhav was the first since he was arrested on charges of alleged espionage three years ago. Pakistan had first offered the consular access to Jadhav on August 2 but India had insisted that the consular access should be "effective and unhindered." In its July 17 verdict, the ICJ had directed Pakistan for continued stay on the death sentence of Jadhav and to provide him consular access. India had declined the earlier offer of consular access to Jadhav as Pakistan had set some conditions, like insisting that it will have its own person present during the meeting between Indian officials and Jadhav. Pakistan had refused to allow Indian officials to meet Jadhav ever since his "arrest" in March 2016 for alleged espionage. In April 2017, he was sentenced to death by a military court, after which India approached the ICJ.