Jadhav to meet wife, mother today

India’s deputy high commissioner JP Singh to accompany the spy’s family

ISLAMABAD: The mother and wife of the Indian spy, who is on death row, are scheduled to arrive today (Monday) after Pakistan allowed Kulbhushan Jadhav to meet his family members, a move New Delhi said might augur well for the bilateral ties.

The exact arrival of Jadhav’s mother and wife was not shared by India with the Pakistani authorities till Sunday evening, although it was confirmed that they would be arriving on Monday by a chartered plane and returning the same day.

The much-talked about meeting would be held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where elaborate and extraordinary security arrangements have been put in place.



Local and international media have been invited at the Foreign Office to cover the arrival of Jadhav’s mother and wife. They have also been given permission for the live coverage.

However, according to Foreign Office officials, the Indian government has barred the visiting family members from interacting with local or international media outlets in Pakistan.

The officials said Pakistan was even willing to issue visas to Indian journalists wishing to cover the meeting between the Indian naval officer-turned-RAW agent with his wife and mother.

However, neither had India shown any interest in the interaction of the visiting women with the media nor willingness to allow the Indian media to travel to Islamabad to cover the event.

A senior Foreign Office official insisted that Pakistan had nothing to hide and hence allowed local and international media outlets to cover the meeting between the Indian spy and his family members.

Pakistan permitted the convicted Indian spy to meet his family members "purely on humanitarian grounds and in line with the Islamic traditions”.



The wife and mother of Jadhav would also be accompanied by India’s Deputy High Commissioner JP Singh. The meeting could last from 15 minute to one hour, said the Foreign Office official.

Indian High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria hoped that the meeting of Jadhav with his wife and mother would take place in a cordial atmosphere.

He told a private news channel that India was satisfied over the arrangements made by Pakistan for the meeting.

Terming Pakistan’s decision to allow the meeting positive, the high commissioner hoped that the step would augur well for the future engagements between the two neighbours.

Jadhav was arrested in March 2016 by Pakistani security forces from Balochistan. A few days later, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) released his recorded statement in which he confessed to working for RAW to foment violence in Pakistan, Balochistan in particular.

In April this year, he was given death sentence by a military tribunal on charges of espionage and his involvement in subversive and terrorist activities. His mercy petition is still pending before the army chief.

India, disputing Pakistan’s claim that Jadhav was a spy, went to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that stayed his execution till its final verdict.

Pakistan, however, contested the Indian claims before the ICJ in a recent reply submited before The Hague-based court.

Islamabad presents the Jadhav’s case as a living proof of RAW’s involvement in terrorist activities in Pakistan.