‘Under pressure’ Jadhav parroted Pakistan’s stance, claims India

Islamabad says consular access was recorded to ensure transparency; there was no restriction on language

ISLAMABAD: New Delhi on Monday admitted that convicted spy Kulbhushan Jadhav’s statement to its senior diplomat during consular access supported Pakistan’s stand on the case, but claimed that the convicted spy was ‘under extreme pressure’.

“[Jadhav] appeared to be under extreme pressure to parrot a false narrative to bolster Pakistan’s untenable claims,” the Indian external affairs ministry said in statement while referring to the convicted spy’s two-hour-long meeting with Charge d’ Affaires at the Indian High Commission Gaurav Ahluwalia in Islamabad on Monday.

The statement comes hours after Pakistan formally granted the consular access to the convicted spy in line with Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, ICJ verdict and the laws of Pakistan.

Ahluwalia met Jadhav at an undisclosed venue due to sensitivity attached to the matter.

Indian diplomat meets convicted spy Kulbhushan Jadhav in Islamabad

“While we await a comprehensive report, it was clear that Shri Jadhav appeared to be under extreme pressure to parrot a false narrative to bolster Pakistan’s untenable claims,” said a statement issued by India’s External Affairs Ministry. “We will decide a further course of action after receiving a detailed report from our Cd’A and determining the extent of conformity to the ICJ directives,” it added.

According to the statement, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar also spoke to Jadhav’s mother and briefed her of today’s developments.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office, on the other hand, maintained that there was no restriction on the language of communication during the meeting on India’s request. “In order to ensure transparency and in line with standard operating procedures, and as conveyed to the Indian side in advance, the access was recorded,” it added.

“As a responsible member of the international community and in line with our international commitments, Pakistan has provided un-impeded and uninterrupted consular access to Commander Jadhav.”

The former Indian naval officer was arrested on March 2016 in Balochistan – a region where Islamabad has long accused New Delhi of backing separatist rebels. He was convicted of planning espionage and sabotage and sentenced to death by a military court.