Six years ago today, Pakistan arrested Kulbhushan Jadhav, an Indian spy, who was planning terrorist attacks in Karachi and Balochistan. The arrest of the Indian naval officer on March 3, 2016, from the outskirts of Mashkel area, was a major breakthrough for Pakistan counter terrorism effort and a reminder to the world of Indian machinations and its involvement in terrorist acitivities in the region. The Indian spy was captured while he was attempting to cross the Pak-Iran border illegally.
The Pakistan military termed his capture as proof of India’s “state-sponsored terrorism” in Pakistan. Shortly after the arrest, the Pakistani military released a confessional video in which he (Kulbhushan Jadhav) admitted to being a serving officer in the Indian Navy, “I am still a serving officer in the Indian Navy and will be due for retirement by 2022 as a commissioned officer in the Indian Navy,” the spy confessed – a claim which the Indian side has denied.
India claimed that he is a former Indian Navy officer and had taken premature retirement to become a businessman – a claim which his family also iterates.
Six years back today, Pakistan Army arrested a serving Indian Army officer #KulbhushanJadhav who was hiding in Balochistan and was masterminding terrorist attacks in Karachi and Balochistan. This was another direct evidence of Indian involvement in terrorism in Pak
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) March 3, 2022
After the initial arrest of the Indian spy, a saga of counterclaims unfolded for months until a military tribunal in Pakistan handed Kulbhushan Jadhav a death penalty without giving consular access to the Indian side. Following the announcement of the death penalty, the Indian side took to the International Court of Justice for it deemed the military tribunal’s decision without giving India consular access, a violation of the Vienna Convention and a “pre meditated murder”.
The International Court of Justice put the military tribunals’ death sentence to Jadhav on hold. The International Court of Justice finally announced its verdict on 17th July 2019, ruling that India be allowed consular access, and asked Pakistan to ensure “effective review and reconsideration of his conviction and sentences”. However, the ICJ rejected all other Indian demands.
Read more: Ball in India’s court after Pakistan’s law on Kulbhushan
The Kulbhushan Jadhav case is still pending in the courts, and a final verdict is awaited.
Who is Kulbhushan Jadhav
According to a medical report released by the Foreign Office, the Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav was born in Sangli in the Indian state of Maharashtra on April 15, 1969. However, a fake passport for Jadhav under the pseudonym Hossein Mubarak Patel showed he was born on Aug 30, 1968.
Read more: Indian Diplomat Gaurav Ahluwalia meets RAW Spy Kulbhushan Jadhav
Jadhav was picked up by Indian spy agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) in late 2013, to carry out various subversive activities in Karachi and Balochistan.