Sartaj Aziz has not even shown courtesy to acknowledge my letter: Sushma Swaraj on visa for Kulbhushan Jadhav’s mother

Kulbhushan Jadhav is behind bars in Pakistan for alleged act of espionage and has been sentenced to death

By: News Desk |
July 10, 2017 11:59 am

Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj on Monday said that she had personally written to Pakistan foreign affairs adviser Sartaj Aziz requesting him for a visa for former Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav’s mother, but he has not even replied to her letter. “We also have a visa application pending for an Indian national Mrs.Avantika Jadhav who wants to meet her son in Pakistan against whom they have pronounced a death sentence. I wrote a personal letter to Mr.Sartaj Aziz for the grant of her visa to Pakistan. However, Mr.Aziz has not shown the courtesy even to acknowledge my letter,” Sushma tweeted on Monday.

Kulbhushan Jadhav was arrested on March 3, 2016 in Balochistan for his role in alleged espionage and sabotage against Pakistan as a Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) agent. However, India has on multiple occasions denied all links on charges of spying. Soon after he was sentenced to death, the Pakistani military’s publicity wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), had said that Jadhav was declared guilty of waging war against Pakistan.

Pakistan had earlier in 1999, hanged an Indian, Sheikh Shamim on charges of spying. On the other hand, several Pakistani spies suspected to be involved in cases of spying have been arrested in India but none of them have ever been sentenced to death.

Here is how Sushma hit out at Sartaj Aziz in a series of tweets on Monday

We also have a visa application pending for an Indian national Mrs.Avantika Jadhav who wants to meet her son in Pakistan /5

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) July 10, 2017

against whom they have pronounced a death sentence. /6

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) July 10, 2017

I wrote a personal letter to Mr.Sartaj Aziz for the grant of her visa to Pakistan. /7

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) July 10, 2017

However, Mr.Aziz has not shown the courtesy even to acknowledge my letter. /8

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) July 10, 2017

Sushma Swaraj lashed out at Aziz while she was speaking about Pakistani nationals who are seeking a visa to India for treatment. She said that India only requires the recommendation of Aziz for for the grant of medical visa to Pakistan nationals and added, “I see no reason why should he hesitate to give his recommendation for nationals of his own country.”