Despite the fact that India and Pakistan are archrivals, Pakistani side is continuously providing all the legal facilities to Indian Spy Kulbhushan Jadhav. In a recent move, the Islamabad High Court, hearing the case of convicted Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav, observed in a recent proceeding that he cannot be denied the right to a fair trial. A three-member bench of the high court is hearing a petition filed by the law ministry seeking appointment of a counsel for Jadhav, who himself and his country have shown disinterest to appoint a lawyer for review of his conviction by a military court in Pakistan.
Kulbhushan Jadhav was handed down death sentence by the military court in April 2017 for espionage and terrorism after his arrest in March 2016 from Balochistan. The Indian naval officer had confessed to committing and planning subversive activities inside Pakistan. The spy was tried through Field General Court Martial (FGCM) under the Pakistan Army Act (PAA) and awarded death sentence. On April 10, 2017 COAS, Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa con?rmed his death sentence awarded by Field General Court Martial (FGCM). Jadhav confessed before a Magistrate and the Court that he was tasked by Indian spy agency Research and Analysis Wing (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
Pakistani security agencies had arrested Kulbhushan Sudhir Jadhav alias Hossein Mubarak Patel, an ‘on-duty RAW agent’, from Balochistan on March 24, 2016. He was said to be an officer of the Indian navy working for the Indian spy agency to destabilize Pakistan. On March 25, a day after the arrest, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs claimed that the Indian national arrested from Balochistan has no connection with the government, however, admitted that Kulbhushan Jadhav was a former officer of the Indian navy.
Hailing from Mumbai, Kulbhushan Jadhav, in his confessional video statement soon after his arrest, said that he had joined Indian Defence Academy in 1987 before being commissioned in Indian navy in 1991. In contrast with New Delhi’s claim, he said, “I am still a serving officer in the Indian Navy and will be due for retirement in 2022”. The on-duty spy went on to say that he commenced intelligence operations by 2002 and established a small business in coastal city of Chabahar, Iran in 2003 as a cover-up. He admitted to have visited Karachi undetected in 2003 and 2004. “I am basically the man for Mr Anil Kumar Gupta who is the joint secretary of RAW and his contact in Pakistan, especially in the Baloch students organization,” he confessed in the video. The operative said that he was directed to meet Baloch insurgents and conduct subversive activities with their collaboration, which resulted in the ‘killing or injuring of Pakistani citizens’. The spy had contacts with banned organizations and was working on plans to breakaway Karachi and Balochistan from Pakistan, and to sabotage the flagship China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.
Jadhav case is in the courts of Pakistan. The country has time and again asked the Indian government to provide a lawyer to Jadhav. But, the matter is delayed just because of the denial from Indian side. India is not providing lawyer to Jadhav and Pakistan is not going to give unilateral decision and wants to provide all the facilities to Jadhav. Pakistan has set a great example by providing all the facilities to spy of its archrival.