Pakistan’s ‘goodwill gesture’ to India: ‘No-guards’ consular access to Jadhav

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday agreed to Indian demands and offered a third consular access to convicted spy Kulbhushan Jadhav, without the presence of any Pakistani official.

“The third consular access would be without the presence of security personnel,” spokesperson at the Foreign Office was quoted as saying. On Thursday, two senior Indian diplomats had left the Foreign Office when during the second consular access to the Indian spy, he complained to the presence of Pakistani officials in the room.

The Foreign Office announced that it has approached the Indian government in writing and note verbale has been sent to India while they awaited a response.

Pakistan’s goodwill gesture comes after spokesman at the Indian Ministry of External Affairs had said on Friday, “Consular access was not unimpeded, unhindered and unconditional. Environment not conducive. Pakistani officials intimidating while in close proximity of Jadhav and Indian diplomats despite the protests of the Indian side”.

Jhadav, who is on death row, has till July 19 to file a review petition in the Islamabad High Court for a review petition. This was made possible by an ordinance by the Pakistan government dated May 20, which gave Jhadav 60 daysto file this review petition.

After the Indian diplomats had walked out of the Foreign Office on Thursday without meeting their citizen, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had lashed out at them saying, “India's ill intentions have come to light. They didn't want consular access. He kept asking the Indian diplomats to talk to him and they left."

The Foreign Office had also said, "Two consular officers of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad were provided unimpeded and uninterrupted consular access to Commander Jadhav at 1500 hours".

News Desk adds: Earlier, India had accused that an agreement to allow “unimpeded” consular access had not been honoured by Pakistani officials.

“Pakistani officials with an intimidating demeanour were present in close proximity of Shri Jadhav and Consular Officers despite the protests of the Indian side,” the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement, adding that the conversation was also recorded, a British foreign

PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal said that PTI govt issued ordinance allowing Kulbhushan Jadhav to file a petition for review and reconsideration against sentence in Islamabad High Court (IHC) through an application within 60 days from the date of promulgation of the ordinance i.e May 20,2020. "Imagine if PML-N govt did this, it would face a lot of scathing criticism.

Meanwhile, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has slammed the PTI-led government for enacting the ordinance.

While addressing a press conference in Sukkur on Friday, Bilawal said "Had the PPP introduced such an ordinance, the media would have made our lives miserable and the Difa-e-Pakistan Council would have staged a sit-in in Islamabad," he said.

Calling it an unprecedented move, Bilawal said that the government should have at least consulted the Opposition, Geo News reported.