India condemns Pakistan for presenting Kulbhushan Jadhav's wife, mother as widow

India today tore into Pakistan for presenting the wife and mother of Kulbhushan Jadhav as widows during their highly controlled meeting and accused Islamabad of turning an emotional moment into an instrument to further its propaganda In identical statements in both houses of Parliament External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said there was serious and gross violation of human rights of the family members of Jadhav who is on death row in Pakistan for alleged spying Kulbhushan JadhavShe pointed out that Jadhavs mother Avanti and wife Chetna were forced to remove their mangalsutra bindi and bangles and footwear and even made to change their attire on the pretext of securityBoth married women were presented as widows in front of a son and husband There can be no greater insult than this said Swaraj as other members chorused shame shame There are not enough words to condemn the same she saidJadhavs mother and wife met him on Monday inside the Pakistan Foreign Office building in Islamabad under unusual circumstances he was separated from the two women by a glass screen and they conversed through an intercom Avanti was not allowed to speak in their native Marathi languageChetnas footwear was confiscated Jadhavs words appeared tutored and the atmosphere was intimidating Swaraj said Pakistani authorities are now talking of chip camera or a recorder being installed in the shoes This is absurdity beyond measure she said pointing out that the two women had cleared security at airports in India Dubai and Pakistan when nothing suspicious was detectedAfter the meeting Pakistani authorities also did not return the shoes of Jadhavs wife despite repeated requests The Pakistan authorities have been cautioned against any mischievous intent in this regard through a Note Verbale yesterday she saidThis meeting could have been a step towards moving forward Butit is a matter of great disappointment that the meeting took place flouting all the understandings both countries had agreed to she saidFollowing the statement members cutting across all party lines in both Houses voiced fullthroated support for the government Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad of the Congress said the misbehaviour with Jadhavs wife and mother was misbehaviour with wives and mothers of 130 crore IndiansWe will not tolerate insults to the wives and mothers and to the countrys dignity Azad said adding the government should ensure that Pakistan ensures Jadhavs saftey in custodyPakistan says Jadhav an exIndian Navy officer was arrested in Balochistan in March with a fake passport a charge denied by India which says he was kidnapped from Iran where he has a legitimate businessThe 47yearold Jadhav has been sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court but the execution has been stayed by the International Court of Justice following Indias effortsSwaraj said Jadhavs mother and wife were taken to the meeting through a separate door without informing the accompanying Deputy High Commissioner of India Before they could see Jadhav a security official told the two women to remove their mangalsutra and bindi the Hindu symbols of matrimonySwaraj said that Avanti told her this morning in a choked voice that she had protested against the removal of the mangalsutra but her plea was turned down by the security officialSwaraj said that as soon as Jadhav saw his mother without the mangalsutra and bindi he asked baba kaisey hain or how is dad because he might have feared that something bad has happened back homeThe meeting of Kulbhushan Jadav 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 saidI am fully confident that this entire House and through the House the people of India strongly condemn in one voice the obnoxious behaviour of Pakistan and affirm their solidarity with the Jadhav familyMost of the BJP members in Lok Sabha responded with shouts of Pakistan murdabad Swaraj said while the imminent threat to Jadhavs life has been averted we are now engaged in seeking a permanent relief based on stronger arguments through the legal avenue offered by the International Court of Justice she saidShe said the mother and wife on their return from Islambad had conveyed to her that Jadhav appeared under considerable stress and was speaking in an atmosphere of coercionAs the meeting progressed it was clear to them that his Jadhavs remarks were tutored by his captors and designed to perpetuate the false narrative of his alleged activities His appearance also raised questions of his health and wellbeing she saidBefore the statement Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu said the sensitive matter was before the ICJ and urged the MPs should exercise restraint in making statements keeping the welfare of Jadhav in mindRam Gopal Yadav SP Derek OBrien TMC Harivansh JDU Dilip Tirkey BJD Tapan Kumar Sen CPM T Devendra Goud TDP Veer Singh BSP Thiruchi Siva DMK D Raja CPI Sukhdev Singh Dindsa Akali Dal Abdul Wahab IML Sanjay Raut Shiv Sena Bhupendra Yadav BJP and Ram Das Athavale RPI supported the government in the matterNaidu said the entire House joins together to appreciate the efforts of the government and asks it to take steps to ensure the safe and secure release of Jadhav He also wanted the government to convey to the international community that Pakistan behaved in an inhuman mannerCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news current affairs from Mumbai local news crime news and breaking headlines hereDownload the new midday Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go