Pakistan Military Court Sentences Former Indian Naval Officer Kulbhushan Jadhav To Death

A Pakistan Army-run military court has handed death sentence to former officer of the Indian Navy, Kulbhushan Jadhav, claiming that he was involved in espionage and sabotage activities in Karachi.

"The spy was tried through Field General Court Martial (FGCM) under the Pakistan Army Act and awarded the death sentence. Today Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa confirmed his death sentence awarded by FGCM," the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) of the Pakistan Army has said in a statement.

Pakistan claims to have arrested on 3 Match 2016 during a ‘Counter Intelligence Operation’ in Mashkel, Balochistan. According to the Pakistani side, Jadhav was provided with a defending officer as per legal provisions, but it is hard to believe given Islamabad’s sparkling record of violating internationally recognised laws. It has repeatedly denied India consular access to Jadhav.

In March last year, Pakistan Army released what it claimed was a video confession of Jadhav and said he revealed India’s involvement in the restive province of Balochistan. The video is so slick, it was called a 'well-produced' evidence.

According to Dawn newspaper, Jadhav was tried by the FGCM under Section 59 of the PAA and Section 3 of the official Secret Act of 1923.

“His goal was to disrupt development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, with Gwadar Port as a special target," ISPR head Lt Gen Asim Bajwa had said soon after Pakistan aired its claim of having arrested Jadhav last year, saying that the act was “nothing short of state-sponsored terrorism”.