Consular access to Jadhav was neither meaningful nor credible, says India

After Pakistan said it had given Indian officials  "unimpeded and uninterrupted consular access to Jadhav", India's external affairs ministry said that India's consular officers "were not given unimpeded, unhindered and unconditional access to Jadhav."

"On the contrary, the Pakistani officials with an intimidating demenour were present in close proximity of Jadhav and consular officers despite protests from the Indian side," the MEA said in a statement.

"The arrangement did not permit a free conversation between them, the consular officers could not engage Jadhav on legal rights and were prevented from obtaining his written consent for arranging legal representation," the MEA informed.

The MEA said the consular officers lodged a protest with Pakistan officials and left the venue. The MEA added that Jadhav looked "visibly under stress". The ministry added that consular access was "neither meaningful nor credible".

India's foreign ministry said it will decide on future course of action "in the light of events today."

After giving Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav consular access, the Pakistan foreign ministry said that it remains committed to fully implement the International Court of Justice(ICJ) judgement on July 17, 2019.

Also Read: India gets consular access for Kulbhushan Jadhav in Pakistan

India's ministry of external affairs officials met Kulbhushan Jadhav today. The Pakistan foreign office said two consular officers of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad were provided "unimpeded and uninterrupted consular access to Jadhav" on Thursday afternoon.

Watch:

The ministry added that it was the second consular access provided to Jadhav at the request of India with the first access under the Vienna Convention provided on September 2 last year. "The mother and wife of commander Jadhav were allowed to meet him on December 25, 2017," it said.

Meanwhile, India's ministry of external affairs said it yet to hear from officials who have met Kulbhushan Jadhav today in Pakistan. The MEA said it is waiting for a report by its officials.

India had earlier asked for "unconditional access" to Kulbhushan Jadhav even as Pakistan's Additional Attorney General Ahmed Irfan had declared last month that Kulbhushan Jadhav had refused review petition that was offered to him.

Kulbhushan Jadhav who is a former Indian naval officer was arrested by Pakistan authorities in 2016 on suspicion of espionage and sabotage activities against Pakistan. Pakistan claim he was a spy. A military court had sentenced him to death but India appealed to the ICJ which stayed the ruling last year.