Lashing out at the Pakistan military court on issuing death sentence to alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav, the Defence Experts on Wednesday said this is high time and Pakistan will have to face dire consequences in return.
"India has categorically stated that it is farcical. There has been a kangaroo court and the entire thing has been done in absolute secrecy. It carries no convictions and it is not as per national norms. No legal facilities were provided to Kulbhushan Jadhav as in a defence lawyer or defending officer," defence expert P.K. Sehgal told ANI.
He further said this categorically warns Pakistan of serious consequences as per the bilateral relations between the two countries.
"After the fake proceedings, giving death sentence to him would be not acceptable by the nation or by the international community," he added.
Echoing similar views, another Defence Expert S.R. Sinho said Pakistan has never found any evidence against Jadhav, adding that the civil court also said that there is no direct evidence involved for espionage activities in Pakistan.
"The Pakistan national security advisor also ruled out any possibility of any spy activity in Pakistan. When Pakistan noticed this, they handed him to the military court and there the order was passed to hang him. This is very treacherous on the part of Pakistan," he said.
Sinho further said that India has always taken a liberal view with Pakistan and Islamabad needs to be taught a lesson at the grass root level.
"India should take very firm action and this matter must get resolved. If we ignore it then Pakistan will continue to repeat such incidents in future also," he added.
Slamming Pakistan military court on issuing the death sentence to Kulbhushan Jadhav, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj yesterday issued a stern warning to Pakistan, saying that Islamabad should be wary of taking such an extreme step as it could result in damaging the bilateral relations between the already hostile neighbors.
"It is an indefensible verdict against an innocent Indian citizen. We have no option but to deem the sentence a premeditated murder. Our position is very clear, there is no evidence of wrongdoing by Kulbhushan Jadhav. I would caution Pakistan government to consider the consequences for our bilateral relationship if they proceed on this matter," said Swaraj in Rajya Sabha.
Swaraj further said, "I would also like to tell the House that I have been in touch with the parents of Jadhav and we are extending our fullest support to them in this difficult situation. A strong sense of solidarity expressed by the House will give them more courage at this time".
The Parliament has been rocked with the sentencing of Jadhav as both Houses witnessed uproar over Pakistan's decision.
Jadhav was arrested in March last year, "for his involvement in espionage and sabotage activities against Pakistan," according to a statement released by the Pakistan armed forces.
The statement said Jadhav confessed that he was tasked by Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), to "plan, coordinate and organize espionage / sabotage activities aiming to destabilize and wage war against Pakistan."
A military court found Jadhav guilty on two counts of espionage and sentenced him to death.
India has strongly objected to the sentencing, saying consular officials were denied access to Jadhav during his trial.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
