Alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav was on Monday sentenced to death by a Pakistani court. Kulbushan was arrested on March 3, 2016. As per a release by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Jadhav was tried through Field General Court Martial (FGCM) under Pakistan Army Act (PAA) and awarded death sentence.
A few months, the Pakistani Army had released a “confessional video” where Jadhav said he was a serving Indian Navy officer. While India has admitted that Jadhav is a retired Indian Navy officer, it has vehemently denied if Jadhav had any links with the government.
Watch: What Kulbhushan Jadhav had said in his “confessional video”
In December 2016, Foreign Advisor to Pakistani’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Sartaj Aziz had said that there was no conclusive evidence on Jadhav’s role in any act of espionage.
He had then said that the dossier on Jadhav contained just statements and more evidence was needed before an action is taken against him. “So far, we have just statements about the involvement of the Indian spy in terror activities in Pakistan,” he was quoted as saying.
Here is the full statement by the ISPR:
“Indian RAW Agent / Naval officer 415582 Commander Kulbushan Sudhir Jadhav alias Hussein Mubarak Patel was arrested on March 3, 2016 through a Counter Intelligence Operation from Mashkel, Balochistan, for his involvement in espionage and sabotage activities against Pakistan. The spy has been tried through Field General Court Martial (FGCM) under Pakistan Army Act (PAA) and awarded death sentence. Today COAS, Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa has confirmed his death sentence awarded by FGCM.
RAW agent Commander Kulbushan Sudhir Jadhav was tried by FGCM under section 59 of Pakistan Army Act (PAA) 1952 and Section 3 of official Secret Act of 1923. FGCM found Kulbushan SudhirYadhav guilty of all the charges. He confessed before a Magistrate and the Court that he was tasked by RAW to plan, coordinate and organize espionage / sabotage activities aiming to destabilize and wage war against Pakistan by impeding the efforts of Law Enforcement Agencies for restoring peace in Balochistan and Karachi.
The accused was provided with defending officer as per legal provisions.”
Indian R&AW agent #Kalbushan awarded death sentence through FGCM by Pakistan Army for espionage and sabotage activities against Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/ltRPbfO30V
— Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor (@OfficialDGISPR) April 10, 2017
After the Pakistani court order on Kulbhushan Jadhav’s death sentence, India has issued a demarche to Pakistan High Commissioner.
The Indian government had in the past categorically rejected allegations that Jadhav was involved in subversive activities in Pakistan at its behest. “Our enquiries reveal that he apparently was being harassed while operating a legitimate business from Iran. While we probe this aspect further, his presence now in Pakistan raises questions, including the possibility of his abduction from Iran,” the ministry had said.
Also Read: All you need to know about Kulbhushan Jadhav, the alleged Indian spy sentenced to death by Pakistan
The Indian government has maintained that Kulbhushan used to run a business in the Iranian port city of Chabahar.
