Kulbhushan Jadhav, who is on death row in Pakistan for alleged spying, on Monday met his wife and moth🍸er -- but separated by a glass screen -- in a carefully choreographed event that unfolded in tweets, photos and TV footage.
The 40-minute meeting, which took place after many representations, t𝓡ook place at the heavily guarded foreign affairs ministry building, and came after the International Court of Justice asked Pakistan in May to stay his ex⛎ecution.
It was the first time that Jadhav was meeting his family since his arr🅷est in March, and Pakistan portrayed it as a humnaitarian gesture to﷽ mark the birthday of the country's founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah.
"Pakistan permits the meeting of wife and mother of Commander Jadhav with him, as a humanitarian gesture, on the birthday of the Father of the nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah," foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Faisal tweete🦩d🥀.
The tween made it a point to identify Jadhav, a former Indian Navy officer, with his military title. Pakistan claims its security forces arrested Jadhav fro꧃m its restive Balochistan province after he reportedly entered from Iran. It claims that he was in possession of an Indian p🃏assport that identified him as Hussein Mubarak Patel.
India, however, maintains that Jad꧙hav was kidnapped f🌃rom Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Indian Navy.
Faisal also tweeted that the meeting was 🌸arranged in light of "Islamic traditions and based on purely humanitarian grounds."
TV footage showed Jadhav's mother Avanti and wife Chetankul entering the ministry building's Agha Shahi Block, accompanied by India's deputy h♕igh commissioner JP Singh and a Pakistani woman official. After they went in, the door shut behind them.
Pakistan foreign office later released pictures of Jadhav talking to his wife and mother from behind a glass screen. The communication between them was throug🌠h a intercom device.
The meeting started at around 1.35 pm and lasted about 45 minutes, after which the ent🍰ire party ree✨merged, and were driven away in a white SUV.
The two women had arrived in Islamabad earlier via Dubai on a commercial flight, and spent about 30 minutes at the Inꦑdian embassy before being driven to the foreign ministry. They are expected to stay at the Indian embassy for a few hours before retracing their path back to India later this evening.
Before th𝔉e meeting, the security check of the family was performed.
All tꦛhe information about the meeting emerged through Pakistani Foreign Ministry tweets and images.
"The mother and wife of Commander Jadhav sitting comfortably in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pakistan. We honour our commitments," Foreign Office Spokesperson Mohammad Faisal earlier tweeted along with a picture of the vi﷽sitors.
From Pakistan's side, Foreign Office Director for India, Dr 🍎Fareha Bugti, was present at the meeting♑.
The wife and mother greeted media persons with ♛a namaste after arriving at the ministry but did not respond to their ꩵquestions.
They also did not talk to the report🌠ers while leaving the building, although journalists kept shouting questions.
J𒀰adhav was at the ministry before his family arrived. It was not known where he had been kept before being transported to the foreign ministry.
TV footage showed a convoy of around se🧸ven vehicles escorting Jadhav's fam🍌ily in the city.
Police and paramilitary security forces, including sharpshooters, were deployed at 🅰the ministry to deal with any untoward security situation, they said.
Roads leading to the Constitution Avenue, on which the ministry is locateജd, were closed for traffic. Special security passes were issued for those visiting the Foreign Office, the officials added.
Pakistan on December 20 issued visa to Jadhav's 🃏wife and mother to visit Islamabad to meet🎶 him.
Jadhav, 47, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of 𝕴espionage and terrorism in April, following which India moved the ICJ in May. It is expected to hold another hearing in Marc💙h or April.
Earlier today Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told a Pakistani media channel that Pakistan has granted India consular access to Jadhav sin🐠ce an Indian diplomat will be accompanying the prisoner's wℱife and mother.
In India, officials down🅰played the comments, maintaining that the ဣIndian diplomat was only accompanying Jadhav's family and it cannot be construed as "consular access".
(PTI)
