26 December,2017 09:30 AM IST | Mumbai | Vijay Kumar Yadav
Kulbhushan Jadhav's friend says neighbouring country allowed him to meet family members only to save face at ICJ
For Tulsidas Pawar, friend of Kulbhushan Jadhav, the Indian jailed in Pakistan over espionage charges, the country's gesture of allowing his family to meet him on Monday was nothing more than 'nautanki' (drama) to minimise the international criticism it is facing.
Jadhav's friends have put up posters to spread word about his innocence
Shameful
Jadhav's wife Chetna and mother Avantika met him in Islamabad on at the foreign affairs ministry, accompanied by J P Singh, Indian deputy high commissioner. Jadhav was able to speak with his family only through intercom, with five officials present. No physical contact was allowed.
"This is shameful. They allowed them to meet him for just 30 minutes and that too through a glass. They didn't even allow Jadhav's mother to hug him. This is merely nautanki on Pakistan's part to save face in the International Court of Justice (ICJ)," said Pawar, who resides in Lower Parel.
'He looks weak'
Pawar said Jadhav seemed weaker in the photos. "He is four years younger than me, but in the latest photo, he seems 20 years older. Some injury marks also can be seen on his body. He looks so weak, and to cover this, they put him in a suit. They have tortured him inhumanly," Pawar said, adding, "We are worried about his mother. We don't know how she will bear this. He is a patriot and an honest man."
Pawar, a shopkeeper, added that he and his other friends are using all possible means to spread the word about Jadhav's innocence. Pakistan claims its security forces arrested Jadhav alias Hussein Mubarak Patel from its Balochistan province on March 3, 2016, after he reportedly entered from Iran. India, however, maintains that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business after retiring from the Navy.
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