Pakistan Army Chief analysing Kulbhushan Jadhav's appeal 'on merits'

Pakistan Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Bajwa is now considering the appeal of former Indian Naval officer Kulbhushan Yadav, who was awarded death sentence for espionage by its military court.

"The petition of Indian national is now with COAS who'll decide soon. The Army Chief is looking at each aspect of Jadhav's appeal,analysing the evidence and will decide on merits",Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor said.

Jadhav's clemency appeal has been rejected by the Military Appellate Court. If his appeal for clemency is rejected by General Bajwa, he can then file another mercy petition with President Mamnoon Hussain within 90 days of the Army Chief deciding on his appeal.

Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said that the authorities are considering the Indian External Affairs Ministry's request of Jadhav's mother to grant her a visa so that she could visit her son in prison.

Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, last week, took on Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz for not entertaining the request for visa to the mother of Jadhav, who has been sentenced to death for alleged espionage.

Jadhav was arrested on March 3 last year from Balochistan allegedly for espionage attributes. He was later awarded death sentence by a Pakistani military court.

India had then moved the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against the death penalty and in its verdict on May 18 had restrained Pakistan from executing Jadhav.

A leading Pakistani daily has voiced its support in favour of the alleged Indian spy's mother, saying that she should be granted visa to visit Pakistan on 'humanitarian grounds as this provides the latest opportunity for India and Pakistan to back away from an increasingly confrontational stance against each other.