Objective Was to Ascertain His Well-being: EAM Jaishankar on Consular Access to Kulbhushan

The External Affairs Minister said ascertaining Kulbhushan's well-being is a priority at this point.

Published: September 17, 2019 6:15 PM IST

By India.com News Desk | Edited by Manmath Nayak

S Jaishankar, India, Pakistan, Mint Asia Leadership Summit, Terror talks
विदेश मंत्री एस जयशंकर

New Delhi: Days after Pakistan denied second consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said the prime objective was to ascertain his well-being.

“Our objective was to seek access to him to ascertain his well-being,” Jaishankar said, adding, “Seeking access to him was one step in eventually providing that remedy which the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has mandated, and finally finding a solution which would bring an innocent person back to his country.”

The union minister said that ascertaining Kulbhushan’s well-being is a priority at this point.

“We had to look at a variety of factors and see what is most import thing to put at this time to ascertain his well-being. We thought to ascertain his well-being is a priority at this point and we wanted to begin proceedings however unsatisfactory they may be,” he said.

He said whether Pakistan carried out in letter and spirit what the International Court of Justice wanted them to do, I think it is obvious to all.

The statement from the International Affairs Minister came at a time when Pakistan last week denied second consular access to Jadhav saying, ‘there is no second meeting’.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry had on September 12 said it will not grant India the second consular access to meet Kulbhushan Jadhav.

Pakistan foreign ministry spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal said, “There is no other meeting. There would be no second consular access to Jadhav”.

Earlier this month, India had got first consular access to Jadhav in 3 years with Indian Deputy High Commissioner (DHC) Gaurav Ahluwalia in Islamabad meeting him for 2 hours. The move from Pakistan came after the ICJ asked the country to follow the Vienna Convention.

Also Read:

For breaking news and live news updates, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Read more on Latest India News on India.com.

By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts Cookies Policy.