India reaches out to Mumbai engineer jailed by Pakistan for spying

India has sought from Pakistan details about the charges against a 31-year-old Indian engineer who has been sentenced to three years in prison for espionage by a Pakistani military court.

The sentence against Mumbai resident Hamid Nehal Ansari came over three years after he went missing in Pakistan after illegally entering the country from Afghanistan reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online.

"Our Mission in Islamabad has sought consular access for him. We had sought it earlier also. We have also sought details of the charges under which he has been detained and for which he has been convicted," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.

Ansari was convicted on Sunday in Kohat, a city in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, and was shifted to Peshawar Central Prison.

He has a right to appeal under the Pakistan Army Act.

India had sought consular access for Ansari and asked Pakistan to ensure his safety and security.

According to Pakistan media, Ansari had confessed to illegally entering Pakistan from Afghanistan for espionage.

Over three years after Ansari went missing in Pakistan where he had allegedly gone to meet the girl he had befriended on the Internet, authorities last month admitted that he has been in army custody and facing a trial in military courts.