ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI: An Indian citizen sentenced to death for spying in Pakistan has admitted espionage and filed a mercy petition with the chief of army staff, the Pakistan military said on Thursday, a statement India dismissed as a farce.
Former Indian naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav was arrested last year in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Baluchistan, the site of a long-running conflict between the Pakistan military and separatist insurgents.
“Commander Jadhav has admitted his involvement in espionage, terrorist and subversive activities in Pakistan and expressed remorse at the resultant loss of any precious lives and extensive damage to property due to his actions,” Pakistan’s military said in a statement, adding that he had asked for mercy on “compassionate grounds.”
India dismissed the Pakistan military’s statement as an attempt to influence the proceedings of the World Court where India has sought justice for Jadhav.
It renewed its demand for consular access to Jadhav and the grant of visas to his family to meet him in prison.
“The details and circumstances of the alleged mercy petition by Mr. Jadhav are not clear and even the fact of its existence is doubtful, shrouded as the proceedings against Mr. Jadhav have been in opacity,” the Indian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
On Thursday there was fresh fighting on the disputed border in Kashmir, at the heart of 70 years of animosity.
Armed intruders from Pakistan crossed the Line of Control or the de facto border separating Kashmir between the two countries and killed two Indian soldiers, the Indian military said on Friday.
Fighting on the border has flared through the summer and the Indian army has vowed firm action to avenge the losses.
After Jadhav was sentenced to death in April, India asked the World Court for an injunction to bar the execution, arguing that he was denied diplomatic assistance during what it terms as an unfair trial.
The World Court ordered Pakistan in May to delay Jadhav’s execution. It argued that Islamabad violated a treaty guaranteeing diplomatic assistance to foreigners accused of crimes.
Pakistan authorities say Jadhav confessed to being assigned by India’s intelligence service to organize espionage and sabotage in Baluchistan “aiming to destabilize and wage war against Pakistan.”
Baluchistan is at the center of a $57 billion Chinese-backed “Belt and Road” development project that first focused on Chinese firms building roads and power stations but is now expanding to include setting up industries.
In a transcript released by Pakistan, Jadhav says disrupting the Chinese-funded projects was a main goal of his activities.
Also on Friday, a suicide car bomber struck near the office of the provincial police chief in southwestern Pakistan, killing at least 11 people and wounding 20, officials said. A breakaway Taliban faction later claimed responsibility for the attack.
The explosion near the police chief’s office in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, was powerful enough that it was heard across the city, shattering windows on nearby buildings, said police spokesman Shahzada Farhat.
Wasim Beg, a spokesman at a government hospital, said the death toll from the bombing had risen to 11 throughout the morning. He said some people remained in critical condition.
TV footage showed several badly damaged cars and a road littered with broken glass.
Hours after the attack, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the bombing. Asad Mansoor, the militants’ spokesman, said the bombing was part of their campaign aimed at enforcing Islamic laws in the country. He vowed more such attacks.
Anwarul Haq Kakar, a spokesman for the provincial government, blamed neighboring India for the blast but offered no evidence to back up the allegation.
Former Indian naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav was arrested last year in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Baluchistan, the site of a long-running conflict between the Pakistan military and separatist insurgents.
“Commander Jadhav has admitted his involvement in espionage, terrorist and subversive activities in Pakistan and expressed remorse at the resultant loss of any precious lives and extensive damage to property due to his actions,” Pakistan’s military said in a statement, adding that he had asked for mercy on “compassionate grounds.”
India dismissed the Pakistan military’s statement as an attempt to influence the proceedings of the World Court where India has sought justice for Jadhav.
It renewed its demand for consular access to Jadhav and the grant of visas to his family to meet him in prison.
“The details and circumstances of the alleged mercy petition by Mr. Jadhav are not clear and even the fact of its existence is doubtful, shrouded as the proceedings against Mr. Jadhav have been in opacity,” the Indian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
On Thursday there was fresh fighting on the disputed border in Kashmir, at the heart of 70 years of animosity.
Armed intruders from Pakistan crossed the Line of Control or the de facto border separating Kashmir between the two countries and killed two Indian soldiers, the Indian military said on Friday.
Fighting on the border has flared through the summer and the Indian army has vowed firm action to avenge the losses.
After Jadhav was sentenced to death in April, India asked the World Court for an injunction to bar the execution, arguing that he was denied diplomatic assistance during what it terms as an unfair trial.
The World Court ordered Pakistan in May to delay Jadhav’s execution. It argued that Islamabad violated a treaty guaranteeing diplomatic assistance to foreigners accused of crimes.
Pakistan authorities say Jadhav confessed to being assigned by India’s intelligence service to organize espionage and sabotage in Baluchistan “aiming to destabilize and wage war against Pakistan.”
Baluchistan is at the center of a $57 billion Chinese-backed “Belt and Road” development project that first focused on Chinese firms building roads and power stations but is now expanding to include setting up industries.
In a transcript released by Pakistan, Jadhav says disrupting the Chinese-funded projects was a main goal of his activities.
Also on Friday, a suicide car bomber struck near the office of the provincial police chief in southwestern Pakistan, killing at least 11 people and wounding 20, officials said. A breakaway Taliban faction later claimed responsibility for the attack.
The explosion near the police chief’s office in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, was powerful enough that it was heard across the city, shattering windows on nearby buildings, said police spokesman Shahzada Farhat.
Wasim Beg, a spokesman at a government hospital, said the death toll from the bombing had risen to 11 throughout the morning. He said some people remained in critical condition.
TV footage showed several badly damaged cars and a road littered with broken glass.
Hours after the attack, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the bombing. Asad Mansoor, the militants’ spokesman, said the bombing was part of their campaign aimed at enforcing Islamic laws in the country. He vowed more such attacks.
Anwarul Haq Kakar, a spokesman for the provincial government, blamed neighboring India for the blast but offered no evidence to back up the allegation.
