Guarantee that Kulbhushan Jadhav's wife, mom won't be harassed': India accepts Pakistan's offer on alleged spy, but with conditions

The Ministry of External Affairs has accepted Pakistan’s offer of allowing Kulbhushan Jadhav’s wife to meet him, but has put forward three conditions, ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said. Kumar said India sought a sovereign guarantee from Pakistan on the safety and security of Jadhav’s wife and her mother-in-law if they visit. Further, the MEA has also said they should not be questioned or harassed, and also that a diplomat from the Indian High Commission in Pakistan should be permitted to accompany them throughout their stay, NDTV reported. [caption id=“attachment_4224827” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Kulbhushan Jadhav. News18[/caption] Pakistan’s foreign ministry has said that it received India’s response and is considering it, The Indian Express reported. On 11 November, Pakistan announced that it will allow Kulbhushan Jadhav to meet his wife. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman responded to the statement saying that it was a ‘good humanitarian gesture.’ Jadhav, 46, was arrested by Pakistan from the restive Balochistan province in 2016 and was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism. A press release from Pakistan’s foreign ministry website stated that Jadhav has “confessed” in a Pakistani court “that he was tasked by RAW to plan, coordinate and organise espionage, terrorist and sabotage activities aimed at destabilizing and waging war against Pakistan”. India has claimed that he was kidnapped from Iran, where he ran business after having retired from the Navy, The Indian Express reported. India had been trying to arrange a meeting between Jadhav and his family members since July and had also moved a visa application for his mother. Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj even wrote a “personal letter” to Sartaj Aziz, the advisor to the Pakistan prime minister on national security and foreign affairs. With inputs from PTI