Raised demand on unconditional access to Kulbhushan Jadhav: MEA

Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday that it was in touch with Pakistan over Kulbhushan Jadhav and has raised a demand of unconditional access to him. MEA also said that a demand to appoint an Indian lawyer was made as well. Kulbhushan Jadhav is on death row in Pakistan.

Pakistan alleges Jadhav of espionage, a claim India has refuted many times.

India has been making constant demand of unimpeded consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav. After the verdict of International Court of Justice (ICJ) Pakistan has granted the consular access but it was closely observed by Pakistani officials.

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India has also been pressing for appointment of an Indian lawyer to represent Kulbhushan Jadhav should he needs to be represented in Pakistani court. The Indian side has maintained in past that Jadhav's representation by a Pakistani lawyer may not help him.

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"We are in touch with Pakistan through diplomatic channels. We believe for a free and fair trial in keeping with the letter and spirit of International Court of Justice (ICJ) judgment, we have asked that Jadhav be represented by an Indian lawyer," MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava had said last month during a virtual briefing.

"However, it is important that Pakistan needs to address the core issues and these core issues involve providing all the necessary documents in this case as well as providing unimpeded consular access to Jadhav," he had said.