Kulbhushan issue: Pakistan set to demolish mischievous Indian designs at ICJ

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will demolish India’s “mischievous designs and motive”. India presented a memorial (petition) before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Wednesday, through which it is trying to divert the international community’s attention from the real issue, while trying to bring out the ‘humanitarian’ aspect in the case of its alleged spy Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav, who has confessed to carrying out subversive and terrorist activities inside Pakistan.

The government also found fault with Washington’s military sales to New Delhi which emboldens it to adopt aggressive military doctrines and even contemplate military adventurism in the region.

Kulbhushan was arrested on March 3, 2016 through a counter-intelligence operation in Balochistan’s Mashakel area. Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa confirmed the Indian spy’s death sentence awarded by Field General Court Martial, after a trial for involvement in espionage and sabotage activities in Karachi and Balochistan.

“Pakistan will submit its counter memorial to ICJ by December 13, 2017 and we should be mindful about the facts in which Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav is on record to have confessed to many terrorist attacks within Pakistan, which caused loss of many precious and innocent lives of Pakistanis and inflicted material losses.

Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav and his accomplices caused immense sufferings to the Pakistani nation. We must be mindful of this fact while talking about him. India is trying to bring out the ‘humanitarian’ aspect of such a person”, spokesman at the Foreign Office told the media as Pakistan puts down its head to prepare its counter memorial.

Visa request for the family of Kulbhushan to meet him has not been allowed by authorities here. “Many citizens also suffered from life threatening and lifetime injuries due to Commander Jadhav’s subversive activities. Therefore, we must be mindful of India’s mischievous designs and motive. Since India was caught red-handed with irrefutable evidence in a case in which its state institutions and state actors are involved in terrorism, terror financing and subversive activities in a sovereign state, it is trying to divert international community’s attention from the real issue”, the spokesman added.

Pakistan also sent a warning to attempts by the US and India to create imbalances and undermine strategic stabilities in South Asia. In this regard, the spokesman recalled the visit of Prime Minister Modi to Washington in June where a major deal for sale of Guardian UAVs (submarine drones) was finalised.

“We had expressed our concerns on the sale of advanced military technologies to India. We believe that such sales accentuate military imbalances in the region and undermine strategic stability in South Asia. This further emboldens India to adopt aggressive military doctrines and even contemplate military adventurism. Transfers of modern military hardware and technologies as well as repeated exceptions made for India have dis-incentivised India to engage in efforts to establish a strategic restrain regime and durable security architecture in the region”, he explained.

Rounding up the recent visits of Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif to China, Iran and Turkey the spokesman said that these were successful in terms of convergence of interest and viewpoints on the situation in the region including Afghanistan.

This was certainly by no means an easy task to find in these important regional countries echoing views held by Pakistan. The converging points included peace in Afghanistan is important for stability in the region; no military solution to Afghan conflict; regional solution to the situation in Afghanistan; Afghan-owned and Afghan-led dialogue for peace; Pakistan has contributed immensely in the fight against terrorism and has rendered unprecedented sacrifices, suffered human and economic losses; presence of terrorist outfits in Afghanistan and safe havens are a threat to regional countries; terrorism is a global phenomenon and hence warrants global cooperation; blame game serves no one’s interest and is counterproductive in the efforts to counter terrorism; for lasting regional peace, resolution to disputes like Kashmir is important; and Human rights violations in IHK are matters of serious concern and condemnable.

“Conflict in Afghanistan is persisting for around four decades, which has created ungoverned spaces there, which have become safe havens for various terrorist outfits. India is also exploiting this situation there against Pakistan. We have raised this issue not only bilaterally with many countries, but also at the UN. We have submitted dossiers to the UN in the context of Indian state institutions’ involvement in perpetrating terrorism, terror financing and subversive activities in Pakistan. No one would endorse Indian activities of this nature”, the spokesman added.