Kulbhushan Jadhav under pressure to parrot Pakistan's false narrative: MEA

Kulbhushan Jadhav, who is languishing in Pakistan jail, finally got a consular visit.

Three years after placing a request for consular access and taking the battle to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), India's Deputy High Commissioner in Islamabad, Gaurav Ahluwalia, was granted a meeting with Jadhav, which reportedly lasted for two hours.

Much like Jadhav's hyped meeting with his mother and wife, the retired Indian Navy officer, however, seemed to “parrot’’ Pakistan's “false narrative.’’

While the MEA is waiting for a “comprehensive report’’ on the meet, it was “clear’’ that Jadhav, “appeared to be under extreme pressure to parrot a false narrative to bolster Pakistan’s untenable claims,’’ said MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar. “We will decide a future course of action after receiving a detailed report from our Charge d' Affaires and determining the extent of conformity to the ICJ directives,’’ he added.

The access granted was part of the “binding obligations of Pakistan’’ said Kumar. “The external affairs minister has spoken to mother of Jadhav and briefed her of today’s developments. The government remains committed to continue to work towards ensuring that Jadhav receives justice at the earliest and returns safely home to India,” he added.

While Pakistan had made a similar offer last month, India had insisted that the spirit of the ICJ order be respected (read, the meeting should not have Pakistan officials present). Pakistan had said it would grant the access according to Pakistani law. In the end, it does seem that the meeting happened under the watchful eyes of Pakistani officials.

A statement issued by the Pakistan foreign affairs ministry confirmed that the meeting lasted two hours, and was “in presence of the officials of the government of Pakistan. On Indian request, there was no restriction on the language of communication.” The meeting was “recorded’ in line with “standard operating procedure,” Pakistan stated, adding that India was conveyed this decision in advance.

Interestingly, Pakistan initiated the visit by tweeting about it on Sunday. Sources in India hoped that Pakistan would “ensure right atmosphere so that the meeting is free, fair and effective in keeping with the letter and spirit’’ of the ICJ judgement.

The meeting comes amidst the fresh India-Pakistan tensions over Kashmir and at a time Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan used the international forum to insist that India and Pakistan are on the brink of a war. In a recent article in The New York Times, Khan had urged the world to intervene in the Kashmir issue or “there will be consequences for the world,’’ indicating a nuclear war. India, however, has chosen to keep tensions down by calling out Pakistan’s efforts to internationalise Kashmir as an attempt to present an alarming picture. In a bid to up the ante, Pakistan had recently expelled Indian high commissioner.

The hostility towards India might be at its peak, but officials from both sides will hold the third round of talks on the draft agreement and operationalisation of the Kartarpur corridor on Wednesday.