Seeing mother without mangalsutra, first question Jadhav asked her was about 'Baba'

NEW DELHI: Pakistani authorities had forced Kulbhushan Jadhav's mother Avanti and wife Chetna to remove their mangalsutra, bindi and bangles when they met him Islamabad on Monday. The two ladies were made to change their attire before the meeting citing security protocol. After seeing his mother without mangasultra, the first question Jadhav asked her was about 'baba' (his father). He wondered whether something "bad" had happened back home. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told the Lok Sabha on Thursday that when she talked to Avanti about the meeting, she said Jadhav's first question was: how is Baba? Later, the former Indian naval officer realised that the mangalsutra', bindi and bangles were removed on security grounds when he saw his wife was also not wearing them. Normally, a Hindu woman does not wear the 'mangalsutra' and bindi or vermillion after the death of her husband. Sushma said the removal of the 'mangalsutra' was a height of disrespect as Jadhav's mother had told the Pakistani officials that it was a symbol of marriage, but they did not relent. "Under the pretext of security precautions, even the attire of the family members was changed. Jadhav's mother, who wears a Sari only, was instead given Salwar and Kurta to wear," said Swaraj. Swaraj said Jadhav's mother had told the Pakistani officials that the 'mangalsutra' is a the symbol of her marriage (suhag) and she never removes it, but they said they were following orders. In identical statements in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Swaraj said India has conveyed its objections to Pakistan in a note verbale yesterday over the way it had conducted Jadhav's meeting with his mother and wife in Islamabad on Monday. Swaraj also slammed Pakistan for making "absurd" charges of a chip, camera or a recorder being installed in the footwear of Jadhav's wife. "At times they say, there was a recorder on it (shoe), at times they say there was a camera, there was a chip. There cannot be a white lie than this. Thank God they did not say there was a bomb inside it," said Swaraj. The external affairs minister said the shoe was apparently seized so that they can make a "mischief". "The meeting of Kulbhushan Jadhav with his mother and wife was portrayed by Pakistan as a humanitarian gesture. However, the truth is that both humanity and compassion were missing during the meeting that was arranged on humanitarian and compassionate grounds," she said. (With inputs from PTI)