Retaliate against death sentence to Kulbhushan Jadhav: MPs

Cutting across party lines on Tuesday, Parliamentarians demanded strong retaliation against Pakistan for sentencing an Indian citizen Kulbhushan Jadhav to death on the charge of spying. With sentiments running high, MPs demanded among other things

• India should break off all trade ties with Pakistan
• An appeal be filed in the International Court of Justice
• India should provide competent lawyers to defend Jadhav in the appellate court
• BJP’s Subramanian Swamy demanded that India declare Pakistani province Balochistan independent and take steps to ensure the disintegration of Pakistan

Meanwhile, there has been a mixed reaction in Pakistan with some predicting that the reaction from India would be strong and swift while others denying the possibility of a dramatic shift in the relationship between the two countries.

Political analyst Air Marshal (retired) Shahzad Chaudhry was quoted as saying, “I do not think our ties with India would change as a result of this decision” while Hamid Mir, senior journalist at Geo News said, “First of all, Pakistan should make the evidence found against the spy public, share it with the country and also internationally.”

Meanwhile, Amnesty International condemned Pakistan military court s decision to award death sentence to Kulbhushan Jhadav. “The death sentence given to Kulbhushan Jhadav shows yet again how Pakistan's military court system rides roughshod over international standards.” said Biraj Patnaik, South Asia director, Amnesty International.

Questioning the secretive court's ability to be just and impartial, Patnaik added in a statement: “Stripping defendants of their rights and operating in notorious secrecy, military courts do not dispense justice but travesty to it. They are an inherently abusive system that are best left to deal with issues of military discipline not any other crime.”

The human rights group also noted that over 87 executions were recorded in Pakistan in 2016. It said that over 6,000 people are known to be under death sentence at the end of 2016 in Pakistan, which is among the world’s top five executioners.

India’s Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar on Monday had summoned Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit and handed over a strongly-worded demarche, which said the proceedings that led to the sentence against Jadhav were “farcical” as there were no “credible evidence” against him.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj warned Pakistan of dire consequences and declared that if the sentence was carried out, it would seriously affect bilateral relations. India was not only denied consular access to Jadhav but even Pakistani officials had gone on record to admit that there was not much evidence against the Indian national.

“Under these circumstances, we have no choice but to regard the sentence, if carried out, as an act of pre-meditated murder,” she said, adding that the sentence by the Pakistani Military Court was based on “concocted charges”, she said in identical statements made in both Houses of Parliament.

“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.

“I would caution the Pakistan government to consider the consequences for our bilateral relationship if they proceed on this matter,” Swaraj said categorically.

Replying to a suggestion by Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, Swaraj said the government will not only ensure that Jadhav is provided with the best of lawyers in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, but will take it up with the President of Pakistan also. “Whatever is necessary, we will do,” she said, adding that Jadhav was “not only the son of his parents, but is the son of India.”

Earlier in the Lok Sabha, Home Minister Rajnath Singh also said the government would do everything possible to get justice for Jadhav.