ISLAMABAD: India conveyed to Pakistan on Saturday night that the mother and the wife of spy Kulbhushan Jadhav would visit Islamabad on Monday to meet him.

The information from New Delhi came at the end of the day amid uncertainty about the spy’s family’s visit.

Foreign Office spokesman Dr Muhammad Faisal tweeted India had informed Pakistan that the mother and wife of Commander Jadhav would arrive by a commercial flight on Dec 25 and leave the same day. “Indian DHC [deputy high commissioner] in Islamabad will be the accompanying diplomat,” he wrote.

Jadhav’s mother and wife were issued visas earlier this week. Their visas are valid for three days (Dec 24-26) and are for Islamabad only, which means the only option with them was to reach Islamabad by air.

Indian deputy high commissioner in Islamabad will accompany the women who will fly in tomorrow

There are no direct flights between India and Islamabad. Therefore, it is being assumed that the two ladies may reach here on board one of the Middle Eastern airlines.

Pakistan had initially offered a meeting between Jadhav and his wife on “humanitarian grounds”. However, India had on that occasion made the acceptance of the offer conditional to permission for his mother and an Indian diplomat to accompany her. After extensive deliberations, the Indian request was allowed.

Jadhav was captured in March last year in Balochistan and tried for sabotage, espionage and terrorism by a military tribunal. He was convicted and sentenced to death this year. His appeal against death sentence has been dismissed, while the mercy petition is pending disposal before Army Chief Gen Qamar Bajwa.

The development in the spy case has happened around the submission of Pakistan’s counter-arguments at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that is hearing an Indian petition challenging the denial of consular access to Jadhav by Pakistan.

The counter-memorial was submitted by Pakistan at The Hague on Dec 13.

Published in Dawn, December 24th, 2017