Military rules out compromise on Jadhav

COAS Gen Bajwa gets briefed on Indian spy case in Corps Commanders conference

Pakistan’s top military commanders have made it clear that no compromise will be made on anti-state acts such as the one perpetrated by Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav, who has been sentenced to death by a military court for espionage and subversive activities against Pakistan.

The statement came on Thursday following a corps commanders conference presided over by army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the GHQ in Rawalpindi. In its statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said the commanders were briefed about Jadhav and the death sentence awarded to him for his involvement in creating instability in Pakistan.

Jadhav – a commissioned officer in Indian navy – was arrested in March last year from Balochistan during a counter-intelligence operation. Later, he confessed to having been working for the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) since 2003 with a mission to create instability in Balochistan and Karachi.



Based on his confessional statement as well as other evidence, Jadhav was finally handed the death sentence last Monday by the Field General Court Martial (FGCM) under the Pakistan Army Act 1952 – a conviction that sparked a diplomatic spat between the hostile neighbours.

The Indian parliament on Tuesday passed a resolution condemning the death sentence with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj threatening that her country would ‘go out of its way to save’ the spy.

Some Indian media reports suggested that New Delhi was considering several options, including ‘high-level’ prisoner exchange to secure the release of the RAW agent.



Reports also claimed that New Delhi might request Washington to use its influence and resolve the issue. However, the statement from the corps commanders indicated that Islamabad was not in a mood to compromise on the India spy anytime soon.

On Thursday, the corps commanders also reviewed national security environment and recent developments in the region. “[The] forum reviewed progress of operation Radd-ul-Fasaad and provision of support to ongoing National Housing and Population census,” the military’s media wing said.

The army chief appreciated formations, intelligence agencies and the law enforcement agencies (LEAs) for successful execution of operations, the ISPR added.