NEW DELHI, April 11 - Amid an outrage in Parliament, India today said it will go �out of way� to ensure justice to Kulbhushan Jadhav and warned Pakistan that his execution will have consequences on bilateral ties.
The death sentence awarded to Jadhav by a Pakistani military court after declaring him a �spy� resonated in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, where all parties came together to condemn the development and pressed the government to take every step to help him.
The government as well as the opposition saw the sentence as an attempt to defame India and to deflect the attention of the international community from Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj made a statement in both the Houses, asserting that India will go �out of way� to ensure justice to Jadhav who is an �innocent kidnapped Indian�.
Jadhav�s execution will be taken by India as a �pre-meditated murder� and Pakistan should consider its consequences on bilateral relations, if it proceeds on this matter, Swaraj warned.
She said the charges against Jadhav, who was doing business in Iran and was kidnapped and taken to Pakistan, are �concocted� and the trial against him was �farcical�, leading to an �indefensible verdict�.
�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,� she said.
�There is no evidence of wrongdoing by Jadhav. If anything, he is the victim of a plan that seeks to cast aspersions on India to deflect international attention from Pakistan�s well-known record of sponsoring and supporting terrorism.
Questioning the trial, she said Pakistan had sought India�s assistance to obtain evidence for its investigation and levelled ridiculous charges against senior Indian officials who had no connection to this issue. � PTI
