India to Pakistan: Execution of an Indian spy will affect billateral relations

India to Pakistan: Execution of an Indian spy will affect billateral relations
India on Tuesday warned Pakistan of “consequences” for bilateral relations if it executed an alleged Indian spy, as tensions over the issue escalated between the nuclear-armed neighbours. A Pakistani military court Monday handed the death sentence to Kulbhushan Jadhav, a retired Indian naval officer, convicting him of spying and fomenting unrest in the province of Balochistan. Following uproar in the Indian Parliament, Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj condemned the “farcical” trial, saying there was no evidence against Jadhav. “I would caution the Pakistan government to consider the consequences for our bilateral relationship if they proceed on this matter,” she said. Home Minister Rajnath Singh claimed Jadhav, who was engaged in a business in Iran, was abducted by Pakistani security agencies in March 2016 and branded a spy. Calling Jadhav a “son of India,” Swaraj said the Indian government “will go out of the way to save him.” She said New Delhi would take up the issue with Pakistan at the highest levels. “There is no evidence of any wrongdoing by Jadhav …. This is an act of premeditated murder,” Swaraj said, adding that Islamabad had repeatedly blocked consular access to him. Meanwhile, the Indian government has also stalled the release of 12 Pakistani prisoners who were due to be repatriated on Wednesday, broadcaster NDTV reported citing official sources. The sentencing has aggravated tensions that were triggered by an attack by Islamist militants that killed 19 soldiers in India-administered Kashmir in September. Anti-Pakistan protests were also reported from Indian cities, including outside the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.