Convicted spy Kulbhushan Jadhav’s wife and mother were granted the right to see him in Pakistan, but authorities say his wife arrived in the country with some sort of mysterious object in her shoe. Officials kept the shoes and provided another pair for her to wear so she could go see her husband, who has been sentenced to death after confessing that he was tasked with destabilizing Pakistan by spreading terrorism throughout the country.
Kulbhushan Jadhav’s wife and mother go to meet him
Kulbhushan Jadhav’s wife and mother went to Pakistan on Monday to meet with the convicted Indian spy in Islamabad at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Pakistan allowed the women to see Jadhav as a goodwill gesture. Officials reportedly asked the two women to wash off any makeup they might be wearing on their faces and remove their jewelry if they were wearing any. Authorities also closed the roads into and out of the Foreign Office for the meeting as part of their strict security measures.
According to Daily Pakistan, the shoes worn by Kulbhushan Jadhav’s wife Chetankul when she arrived in the country contained some kind of metal object. A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said they confiscated the shoes because it felt like something was fixed inside them. Authorities are now investigating the matter. Everything except for her shoes was returned to her, according to officials. The Foreign Office said they are trying to determine whether the metal object that was found inside the shoes is a camera.
Jadhav served for the covert Indian intelligence agency known as the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), and Pakistani authorities arrested him in Balochistan in March 2016. Balochistan has long been destabilized by long-running violence between separatists and security forces. A court found Jadhav guilty of sabotage and espionage and sentenced him to death eight months ago.
India angered by treatment of Kulbhushan Jadhav’s wife
In a sign that relations between Pakistan and India are as cold as ever, India expressed outrage over what its media outlets allege was poor treatment of Kulbhushan Jadhav’s wife and mother. According to Reuters, India alleges that the two women were harassed and complained that they weren’t allowed to speak freely with the convicted spy.
A spokesperson for the Indian Foreign Ministry alleges that the Pakistani press were allowed to “approach family members closely” and also to “harass” them. The spokesperson would not offer further details about the shoes that Pakistani officials confiscated from Jadhav’s wife, other than to say that they were not returned.
India claims that Jadhav is innocent of the crimes Pakistan has convicted him of and adds that the World Court granted an injunction to push back his execution. However, Pakistani officials say that Jadhav confessed to working for RAW and organizing sabotage in Balochistan with the goal of destabilizing Pakistan. The two nations frequently accuse each other of sending spies across their border, according to Reuters.
(Video In Hindi / Urdu: Courtesy of AbbTakk News)
