Pakistan says shoes of Jadhav’s wife sent for tests; Sushma to make statement in Parliament

Pakistani authorities have sent the shoes of the wife of Kulbhushan Jadhav, the former Indian Navy officer sentenced to death for alleged involvement in spying, for forensic tests as they contained a “metallic substance”. India’s protest over the treatment given to Jadhav’s wife and mother during a meeting at the Foreign Office in Islamabad on Monday has added another twist to the controversy over the former naval officer arrested by the Pakistani military in March last year. After MPs criticised the treatment meted out to Jadhav’s mother Avanti and wife Chetankul during their visit to Pakistan, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said she would make a statement on the issue in Parliament on Thursday. Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal was quoted as saying by the Pakistani media: “There was something in the shoe. It is being investigated. We gave her a pair of replacement shoes. All her jewellery etc were returned after the meeting.” The tests will determine if the “metallic” object was a camera or a recording chip, Faisal told the media. Chetankul Jadhav’s shoes were taken away by security officials before her meeting with her husband, who has been repeatedly denied consular access. Swaraj assured the Lok Sabha on Wednesday that she would respond to the criticism from MPs regarding the treatment of Jadhav’s kin. Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant raised the matter and demanded that India should not remain silent. Mallikarjun Kharge of the Congress demanded Jadhav should be brought back, while AIADMK’s M Thambidurai said asking a woman to remove her ‘mangal sutra’ is an insult to the country. Trinamool Congress’ Saugata Roy described Pakistan as “hypocritical” and demanded a statement from the government. Vice president M Venkaiah Naidu described Pakistan’s handling of Jadhav’s meeting with his kin as “inhuman” and said it had “hurt the sentiments of Indians”. Speaking during an interaction with a delegation comprising faculty and students from the universities of Harvard, Stanford and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Naidu said India seeks peace in the region for the benefit of all the countries but some are adopting a different approach. The removal of the mangal sutra of Jadhav’s wife and other restrictions had not gone down well with the people of India, he said, adding Pakistan did not do any good for itself even as it sought to showcase its gesture of allowing the family reunion to the world. Even before the issue was raised by the MPs, it triggered a fresh row between the two countries. The external affairs ministry complained about the treatment given to Jadhav’s wife and mother after India had “scrupulously abided” by all its commitments for the meeting. The atmosphere at the meeting was “intimidating” and the Pakistani media was allowed to approach the women and “harass and hector them”. Cultural and religious sensibilities of Jadhav’s kin were disregarded as the mangal sutra, bangles and bindi were removed. Pakistan’s Foreign Office rejected India’s criticism as “baseless and twists” allegations. “We do not wish to indulge in a meaningless battle of words…If Indian concerns were serious, the guests or the Indian (deputy high commissioner) should have raised them during the visit...,” it said in a statement. Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court for alleged spying, a charge dismissed by India. His ppeal for clemency has been rejected by a military appellate court. India says Jadhav was kidnapped from the Iranian port of Chabahar and taken to Pakistan. The International Court of Justice stayed Jadhav’s execution after it was approached by India. Source: Hindustan Times