No knowledge of Jadhav's whereabouts, consular access was denied 13 times: MEA

NEW DELHI: India has no knowledge of former navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav's location in Pakistan or his condition, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday and asserted that the government is making all efforts to get him back. 46-year-old Jadhav has been awarded death sentence by a Pakistani military court on charges of alleged "espionage and sabotage" activities. "India has no knowledge of Kulbhushan Jadhav's location and his condition. We are making all efforts to get him back but we can't reveal the steps that will be taken to achieve it," the MEA said. "We had made 13 requests for consular access to him but Pakistan has denied them so we cannot ascertain any facts about how he is or where he is," it said. "We are in touch with Pakistan through our High Commission on this immensely important issue," it said. The issue has triggered fresh tension in Indo-Pak ties and India has warned Pakistan of the "consequences" Jadhav's hanging could have on their ties and vowed to go "out of the way" to save him amid pervasive outrage in the country. Baloch activist exposes Pakistan's claim on Kulbhushan Jadhav's death sentence An extremely significant exclusive interview of Baloch activist Mehrab Sarjov had exposed Pakistan's direct hand in kidnapping Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav. Speaking to ABP News over video conferencing, Sarjov, who is the advisor to King of Kalat in Cardiff, on Wednesday said that Jadhav was kidnapped by Pakistan’s ISI from Chabahar in Iran and not from from Mashkel area of Balochistan. “My foreign Sources from both the sides of the border, Kulbhushan Jadhav was not on the Pakistan-occupied side of Balochistan at all. He was kidnapped from the Chabahar port which is in Iranian-controlled Balochistan. His kidnapping was kept a secret from the public and media by Pakistan,” Sarjov said. “Many observers believe his kidnapping has a political reason. One, Pakistan alleges India interferes in Balochistan but does not have any proof of it. Second, Pakistan was trying to put pressure on its neighbour. Pakistan is a master of deception. It wants to keep this 'limited war' against India as both sides do not want a full fledged war. India has to decide how to deal with Pakistan,” he added. EAM Sushma Swaraj warns of consequences on diplomatic relations External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had made a statement in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, asserting that India will go "out of the way" to ensure justice to Jadhav who is an "innocent kidnapped Indian". Jadhav's execution will be taken by India as a "pre-meditated murder" and Pakistan should "consider its consequences" on bilateral relations, if it proceeds on this matter, Swaraj warned. She said the charges against Jadhav, who was doing business in Iran and was kidnapped and taken to Pakistan, are "concocted" and the trial against him was "farcical", leading to an "indefensible verdict". "Let me state clearly that the government and the people of India would view very seriously the possibility that an innocent Indian citizen is facing death sentence in Pakistan without due process and in violation of basic norms of law, justice and international relations," she said. "There is no evidence of wrongdoing by Jadhav. If anything, he is the victim of a plan that seeks to cast aspersions on India to deflect international attention from Pakistan's well-known record of sponsoring and supporting terrorism." Pak army court sentenced Jadhav to death Pakistan military court has sentenced Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav to death after he was convicted of "espionage and sabotage activities", prompting New Delhi to warn Islamabad that it is a case of "premeditated murder". The trial proceedings that led to the capital punishment for Jadhav were also described by India as "farcical". The award of the death sentence to the 46-year-old former Naval officer at a court-martial was confirmed by Pakistan's army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa today and is expected to further deteriorate already strained Indo-Pak ties that were hit after the deadly attacks in Pathankot and Uri by Pakistan- based terrorists last year. The court martial was closed to the public and consular access was not provided to Jadhav. (With inputs from PTI)