Kulbhushan death sentence: Politicos urge govt. to deal strictly with Pak

New Delhi [India] Apr. 11 (ANI): Condemning the death sentence to alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav by the Pakistani military court, political parties across the nation on Tuesday said India needs to stand up straight in front of Islamabad and maintain a safe distance. "I think this is the limit and India should talk straight forward to Pakistan. Earlier it was Sarabjeet now it is Kulbhushan Jhadav, these things remind us to stay at a safe distance from Pakistan and maintain a limited relationship with them," Congress leader P.L. Punia told ANI. He further said that Jadhav should have been given the opportunity to present the evidence in the court. "Indian embassy's councilor was also not given any chance to help him," Punia asserted. Echoing similar sentiments, Janata Dal United (JD (U)) leader Ali Anwar said Pakistan has always dismantled each and every law related to foreign affairs. "We condemn such move. India should take a strict move now and tackle this issue wisely," he added. India yesterday summoned Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit and issued a demarche against Pakistani military court for awarding death sentence to alleged Indian spy Jadhav. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the Indian High Commission in Islamabad was not even informed about Jadhav's trial in the court. The ministry added that the subsequent presence of Jadhav, who was kidnapped last year from Iran, has never been explained credibly by the Pakistani authorities. "The proceedings that have led to the sentence against Jadhav are farcical in the absence of any credible evidence against him. Senior Pakistani figures have themselves cast doubt about the adequacy of the evidence," an official release stated. "The claim in the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) release that Jadhav was provided with a defending officer during the so-called trial is clearly absurd in the circumstances," it added. The Ministry said the Indian Government, through its High Commission in Islamabad, repeatedly sought consular access to Jadhav, as provided for by the international law. "If this sentence against an Indian citizen, awarded without observing basic norms of law and justice, is carried out, the Government and people of India will regard it as a case of premeditated murder," it read. Earlier, Jadhav was given the death sentence by the Pakistan Military, it's media wing the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. Jadhav was arrested on March 3, 2016 through an operation in Balochistan's Mashkel area for his alleged involvement in espionage and sabotage activities against Pakistan, the ISPR said. Earlier in March 2016, the Ministry of External Affairs said that the former Indian naval officer was arrested by Pakistan for allegedly engaging in subversive activities was possibly kidnapped from Iran and denied any possibilities of him being involved in subversive activities in Pakistan. The accused, used to run a business in the Iranian port city of Chabahar. He was seen in a video confessing that he was an official of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India's external intelligence agency. (ANI)