Afia ambreen
Karan Thapar, a renowned Indian journalist, in his article titled “The mysterious Mr Jadhav” published in ‘The Indian Express’ on 21 April pointed questions on the activities of Jadhav. He asked that why does Jadhav have two passports, one in his own name and another in the name of Hussein Mubarak Patel? Why would he use an alias to rent his own mother’s flat? There are 4,000 Indians in Iran why no one else has been abducted. It is important to mention here that On April 10, A Field General Court Martial (FGCM) handed Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav the death sentence after trial for involvement in espionage and sabotage activities in Karachi and Balochistan. Jadhav was arrested on March 3, 2016, through a counter-intelligence operation in Balochistan’s Mashkel area for his involvement in espionage and sabotage activities against Pakistan. Jadav had admitted that he had been directing various activities in Karachi and Balochistan at the behest of RAW since 2013. He had also confessed of playing a role in deteriorating law and order situation in Karachi. Pakistan government officials released a six-minute video in which Kulbhushan Jadav, claimed he is working for India’s top intel agency RAW and that he is still with the Indian Navy. In the video, Jadav said that he began working as an intel recruit after the attack on the Indian Parliament in 2001 and that he then set up a small business in Iran in 2003 which provided him cover for frequent trips to Pakistan before becoming a RAW agent in 2013. He added that he was caught while trying to cross into Pakistan from Iran on March 3. On the contrary, India maintained that he retired from the Navy in 2002 and has had nothing to do with the Indian government when he was arrested from Balochistan.
It is worth mentioning that Pakistan has prepared a new dossier about Indian interference in Pakistan and Kulbhushan Jadhav’s statement. This new dossier is to be based on the early testimonial as well as statements given in front of the court by Jadhav. Pakistan has collected fresh evidences on Indian involvement inside Pakistan to spread anarchy and militancy. The attested report of Court Martial General will also be included in the dossier. The timeline of Jadhav’s militant activities, as well as the court proceedings timeline, will also be part of this document. Furthermore, arrests and raids done by Pakistan security agencies on Jadhav’s tip-offs are also shared in it with detail. The dossier will be handed over to different ambassadors in Islamabad. The Pakistani envoys across the world will also present it to their host states. The document will also be sent to United Nations and other global organisations.
Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest but least developed province which has been battling a separatist insurgency for years. Pakistan has repeatedly characterised it as “terrorism” promoted by hostile states such as India. Jadhav confessed before a magistrate and the court that he was tasked by the Indian intelligence agency to plan, coordinate and organise espionage and sabotage activities aiming to destabilise and wage war against Pakistan by impeding the efforts of law enforcement agencies for restoring peace in Balochistan and Karachi. Karachi, a city of 20 million and Pakistan’s economic hub, is also frequently hit by religious, political and ethnic violence. Jadhav had told judges last year that he was a naval officer who had started doing work for Indian intelligence following a 2001 attack on parliament that India blamed on militants backed by Pakistan.
On the other hand, India’s involvement in the Balochistan unrest cannot be ruled out in view of the rapidly changing geopolitics of the region. India, which has ambitions of dominating the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean, is upset over China’s growing stakes in the Gwadar port. A fully-developed and functional Gwadar port near the Strait of Hormuz will enable China to frustrate India’s dream of dominating regional waterways. New Delhi feels that the Gwadar port would have serious strategic implications for India. It perceives that it would empower Pakistan to control strategically important energy sea-lanes of the Persian Gulf, while India controls no choke points on the coastline of the subcontinent through which international shipping may pass. India sees Chinese involvement in Gwadar with suspicion and believes that China wants to set up bases and outposts across the globe to monitor and safeguard energy flows.
As far as the questions of Karan Thapar concerned it has been proved that Kalbhushan Jadhav was involved in terrorism and he possessed two passports. Addressing the media foreign policy chief Sartaj Aziz said, “Kulbhushan Jadhav, who is responsible for espionage, sabotage and terrorism in Pakistan has been tried according to the law of the land, in a fully transparent manner while preserving his rights.” Pakistan condemn the baseless allegations from India, especially in the light of the fact that it was non-cooperation and lack of Indian response to Pakistan’s request for legal assistance, due to which consular access was not provided to Jadhav. Ironically, India has not allowed consular access to many Pakistani prisoners for many years despite repeated requests. India’s false claim that Jadhav, a former naval officer, was captured in Iran, in fact, Jadhav is a serving Indian naval officer.
