Pakistan issues new video of Kulbhushan Jadhav

Team Udayavani, Dec 26, 2017, 8:34 AM IST

Islamabad: Pakistan today issued a new video of Indian prisoner on death row Kulbhusan Jadhav in which he is seen thanking the Pakistan government for arranging a meeting with his wife and mother.

The video message played by the Foreign Office during a press conference after Jadhav’s meeting with his family was recorded before their meeting, officials said.

“I requested a meeting with my wife and mother and I am thankful to Government of Pakistan for this gesture,” Jadhav said in the brief video message.

The 40-minute meeting took place at the heavily guarded Foreign Affairs Ministry building and came after the International Court of Justice asked Pakistan in May to stay his execution.

It was the first time that Jadhav was meeting his family since his arrest in March last year, and Pakistan portrayed it as a humanitarian gesture to mark the birthday of the country’s founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah.

During the press conference, the Foreign Office spokesperson made old allegations against Jadhav. The spokesman said that Jadhav was sentenced to death by a military court on charges of espionage and terrorism.

India maintains that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Indian Navy.