New Delhi: Pakistan has allowed Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav, currently on death row, to meet his wife and mother on December 25.
According to media reports, Pakistani Foreign Office spokesman Dr Mohammad Faisal confirmed the development.
On November 10, Pakistan had allowed Jadhav to meet his wife 'purely on humanitarian grounds,' but the request about his mother was pending.
A press release issued by Pakistan's foreign affairs ministry had said that the Indian High Commission in Islamabad has been informed of the decision. Pakistani foreign affairs ministry mentioned that this request has been granted months after India's foreign affairs ministry had first raised it with Pakistan.
The Indian government has been trying to arrange a meeting of Jadhav with his family since July and had moved a visa application for his mother, but Pakistan had not reciprocated at the time. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had even written a "personal letter" to Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz asking for approval of visa application of Jadhav’s mother so that she may travel to Pakistan.
I have spoken to Mrs. Avantika Jadhav mother of Kulbhushan Jadhav and informed her about this. /2— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) December 8, 2017
Earlier Pakistan had agreed to give visa only to the wife of Kulbhushan Jadhav. On this we asked Pakistan to give visa to the mother as well. We also raised concern about their safety and security in Pakistan. /3— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) December 8, 2017
Pakistan has also turned down at least 15 Indian requests for consular access to Jadhav since his arrest last year and India says that this was in violation of the Vienna Convention.
The change in stance is a possible indication that Pakistan is under pressure from the international community and the case in International Court of Justice is not going in their direction.
Coming after some backchannel dialogue and meetings, it is likely to be seen as a Confidence Building Measure (CBM) between the two nations, who have been battling it out in the ICJ. The move comes after Pakistan defence spokesperson gave hints of hanging Jadhav, who is on death row on the allegations of spying as an agent of RAW.
It was only last month, on October 5, when the Director General of Inter Services Public Relation (ISPR), Major General Asif Ghafoor had said that the mercy petition of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav is in its "final stages" and a "good news" was likely to come "very soon."
Though he didn't spell it out, the "good news" for Pakistan was understood to be a hint at the army chief turning down Jadhav's mercy petition, clearing way for his execution.
How will, if at all, the Chief of Pakistan Army General Qamar Javed Bajwa turn down the mercy appeal of the Indian national, remains to be seen as any such order would be not stand in view of the ongoing arguments at International Court of Justice.
The ICJ had at India's request asked Pakistan to restrain from hanging the former Indian naval officer. On May 18, the top UN court had ruled that Pakistan "shall take all measures at its disposal to ensure Jadhav is not executed pending final decision."
Jadhav was arrested by Pakistan officially on March 3, 2016. Pakistani army claimed that he had 'illegally crossed over to Pakistan and had confessed before a Magistrate of, on behalf of R&AW, planning, coordinating, and organising espionage'. However, India maintains that he was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Navy.
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