Is Kulbhushan Jadhav already dead?

Pakistan’s consistent denial of consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav suggests him already being executed, said former Union home secretary and Bharatiya Janata Party leader R K Singh on Friday.

Singh told ANI, “Requesting for consular access and visas to Kulbhushan's parents is a human right issue. It should not be denied. Nextly, the reason behind asking for the report is that we have strong feeling that Kulbhushan has already been tortured to an extent that he is already dead and that’s why he was sentenced to death by a Pakistan’s military court.”

Singh suggested the government should take strict reciprocal action against the terrorists who infiltrate to India through the International Border.

“We should set up fast track courts for terrorists who infiltrate into the Indian side through the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir, Jaipur. A fast track trial should be conducted. They all should either be awarded a death sentence or given life imprisonment,” he added.

Resonating similar views, Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir said that it’s New Delhi's right to the health status of Kulbhushan Jadhav.

“May be not today, but afterwards they have to give us the health status of Kulbushan Jadhav,” Ahir said.

The Indian government has requested for Consular access to Jadhav on sixteen occasions, and Pakistan has refused to entertain them on grounds that it is a defence and national security matter.

IMAGE: Protest in Mumbai against Kulbhushan Jadhav's death sentence. Photograph: PTI Photo