Kulbhushan Jadhav's mother appeals to Pakistan for his release

Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad Gautam Bambawale submits appeal to Tehmina Janjua

The Indian government on Wednesday submitted a petition by Kulbushan Jadhav's mother to Islamabad, initiating a process to get the self-confessed spy's conviction overturned.

During his meeting with Pakistan's foreign secretary Tehmina Janjua, Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad Gautam Bambawale submitted an appeal written by Jadhav's mother on her son's behalf. Jadhav's mother urged the government of Pakistan to help India get him released, according to The Times of India.



Handing over the appeal to the appellate court, India also requested Islamabad to facilitate visas for Jadhav's parents who wish to travel to Pakistan to meet him and also to personally file the petition.

Further, Bambawale once again urged Janjua to provide consular access to Jadhav, which Janjua denied, stating that "access under (bilateral) agreement is meant for prisoners and not for spies."

Jadhav, who was caught in Balochistan in 2016 and has confessed to fomenting terrorism in Pakistan – was handed down the death penalty in an unprecedented decision that instantly sparked a bitter diplomatic spat between the two countries.



Jadhav was arrested on March 3 last year during an operation in Mashkel area of Balochistan. A few weeks later, the army released his recorded confessional statement in which he admitted that he was working for the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India’s primary foreign intelligence agency, to stoke unrest and instability in Pakistan.

This article originally appeared on The Times of India