Kulbhushan Jadhav case: Indian deputy high commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia meets ex-navy officer after acceptance of consular access, says Pakistani media

India’s Deputy High Commissioner in Islamabad Gaurav Ahluwalia on Monday met death-row convict Kulbhushan Jadhav after Pakistan granted consular access to him “in line with the International Court of Justice judgment”. The meeting between Jadhav, a former navy officer, and Ahluwalia is reportedly underway at a sub-jail, Dawn reported.

India on Monday accepted Pakistan’s offer of consular access to Jadhav, who has been charged with espionage and terrorism and detained in Pakistan since 2017. The development comes after several unsuccessful attempts to reach a consensus regarding the modalities of the meeting.

Before meeting Jadhav, Ahluwalia met Pakistan foreign office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal at the foreign ministry, reports said. The meeting between Ahluwalia and Jadhav comes a month after a similar interaction between Indian officials and the Indian prisoner failed to materialise amid differences between New Delhi and Islamabad on the terms of the consular access.

Pakistan: The meeting between India's Deputy High Commissioner to Pakistan, Gaurav Ahluwalia and #KulbhushanJadhav begins. pic.twitter.com/nSqHGFF0nO

— ANI (@ANI) September 2, 2019

Jadhav, 49, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of “espionage and terrorism” in April 2017, following which India had moved the ICJ, seeking a stay on his death sentence and further remedies.

On Sunday, Pakistan foreign office spokesman Mohammad Faisal tweeted that consular access for Jadhav will be provided on 2 September “ in line with Vienna Convention on Consular relations , ICJ judgment and the laws of Pakistan”.

The consular access to Jadhav came amidst fresh India-Pakistan tensions, which spiked after India abrogated provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and bifurcated it into two Union Territories.

On 7 August, Pakistan expelled Indian High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria after it downgraded the diplomatic ties with India in line with its objection to the abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir, which is disputed territory between India and Pakistan.

However, India maintained that diplomatic channels with Pakistan were open in the case of Jadhav and said that it had demanded “immediate, effective and unhindered” consular access to him. However, it is not yet clear if the consular access provided on Monday was unhindered as demanded by India.

An offer for consular access had also been made by Pakistan on 1 August, however, the meeting, which was scheduled for 2 August, did not materialise amid differences between India and Pakistan on the terms of the consular access to Jadhav.

One of the conditions put by Pakistan reportedly was the presence of a Pakistani official when Jadhav is allowed to meet Indian officials as part of the consular access. India did not agree to the condition, making clear its position that the consular access must be “unimpeded” and should be in the light of the judgment by the ICJ.

Pakistan was bound by the ICJ judgment to grant consular access to Jadhav. The court had also ordered Islamabad to undertake an “effective review and reconsideration” of the conviction and sentence of Jadhav in a verdict on 17 July.

With inputs from agencies