NEW DELHI: India’s external affairs ministry summoned on Wednesday the Pakistani deputy high commissioner on the issue of the death sentence handed down to Kulbhushan Jadhav by a military tribunal in Pakistan and made a fresh demand for consular access to the Indian national.

The ministry’s officials met Syed Haider Shah and claimed that Jadhav was innocent and that false charges had been framed against him, according to sources.

Mr Shah’s summoning came five days after Indian Ambassador to Pakistan Gautam Bambawale met the Pakistani foreign secretary and sought a certified copy of the charge-sheet and the court order in the case.

“We definitely want to appeal against the judgement but we cannot do it unless we have the details of charges and a copy of the verdict. So, my demand was that details of the charge-sheet and a copy of the verdict be provided to us,” Mr Bambawale had said after the meeting.

“I have asked for consular access on the basis of the international law and on humanitarian grounds as he [Jadhav] is an Indian national,” the ambassador added.

By arrangement with the Times of India

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2017