Nailing Pakistan’s lies in Kulbhushan Jadhav case, Amjad Shoaib, a former official of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and a retired Lieutenant General of the Pakistani Army, has acknowledged that Jadha, an ex-Indian Navy officer, was captured from Iran.
This revelation coincides with India’s claim that Pakistan had kidnapped the 46-year-old former Indian Navy officer from Iran where he was involved in business activities after retiring from the service.
Pakistan claims that it had arrested Jadhav from Balochistan in Pakistan on 3 March, 2016. In that context, the statement of the former ISI official is a damning evidence of how Pakistan has framed Kulbhushan Jadhav with false and concocted charges. This has also exposed the real face of Pakistan, its armed forces establishment, ISI and the civilian government.
India will now use Amjad Shoai’s statement to further strengthen its argument at the next hearing of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). On 18 May, the Hague-based International Court of Justice ordered Pakistan to stay the execution of former Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav until further notice.
During its submission, India had demanded the immediate suspension of Jadhav’s death sentence, expressing fears that Pakistan could execute him even before the hearing at the ICJ was over. Making a forceful argument before the ICJ, India had had contended that Pakistan has clearly violated the Vienna Convention and conducting a “farcical trial” for convicting Jadhav without a “shred of evidence”. The ICJ had upheld New Delhi’s demand.
On 10 April, Jadhav was given death sentence by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and sabotage activities in Karachi.
In a blatant miscarriage of justice, India was not informed of Jadhav’s detention until long after his arrest. Jadhav has not been given a fair trial. Moreover, India has sought consular access for Jadhav 15 times, but Pakistan has turned down India’s request every time violating the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.
