Islamabad: Pakistan on Friday refused to share details on any consular access to the two Indian nationals held in the neighbouring country on accusations of spying, only saying that such access had been provided from "time to time". Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch was responding to a query on reported consular access to the two Indians.
According to a report by The Express Tribune, Pakistan authorities granted consular access to India for a meeting with two Indian nationals arrested on charges of spying in Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in 2020. The consular access was provided at the request of the Indian government and the meeting between Indian diplomats and the Indians accused of espionage in Pakistan took place on Monday.
“I will not go into the details of such communications. However, Pakistan does from time to time arrange consular access for the Indian High Commission to its nationals," Baloch said during a weekly press briefing. Pakistani reports suggested that the two individuals from Jammu and Kashmir were arrested in Gilgit-Baltistan for spying. They were identified as Feroze Lone, 29, and Noor Muhammad Wani, 24, from the Gurez area of J-K.
A three-member delegation from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad met with the two prisoners at Adiala Jail, diplomatic sources said. Interior Ministry officers were also present during the meeting, according to sources. According to Indian media, both men had been missing from PoK since November 2018 and sources indicated they had crossed the border illegally and were subsequently arrested on spying charges, the newspaper said.
The issue of consular access has a brief history of its own in terms of the Indo-Pak relations. Kulbushan Jadhav, an Indian national, arrested by Pakistan in 2016 and sentenced to death by a military court on charges of espionage and terrorist activities; was denied consular access despite repeated requests by India.
Later, India took the matter to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which directed Islamabad to grant consular access to Kulbushan Jadhav, voided his death sentence, and directed Pakistan to put Jadhav on trial in a civil court. After the ICJ's order, Indian officials were allowed to meet Jadhav under tight security on the premises of the Pakistan Foreign Office in Islamabad.
(with inputs from agencies)
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