V.K. Singh avoids commenting on Kulbhushan Jadhav's death sentence

Minister of State for External Affairs General (Retd.) V.K. Singh on Monday avoided commenting on the death sentence given to an alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav by a Pakistan military court and said that he would put forth his views only after a through probe into the matter.

"Let complete probe happen. Then we can comment and act accordingly," said the former army chief.

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 Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

Jadhav was "tried by FGCM under section 59 of Pakistan Army Act (PAA) 1952 and Section 3 of official Secret Act of 1923," ISPR added.

Later Jadhav confessed before a magistrate that he was tasked by Indian spy agency Research and Analysis wing to plan, coordinate and organise espionage and sabotage activities seeking to destabilise and wage war against Pakistan through impeding the efforts of law enforcement agencies for the restoration of peace in Balochistan and Karachi.

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.

'Kulbhushan Yadav', 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.

"The government categorically rejects allegations that this individual was involved in subversive activities in Pakistan at our behest. Our enquiries reveal that he apparently was being harassed while operating a legitimate business from Iran. While we probe this aspect further, his presence now in Pakistan raises questions, including the possibility of his abduction from Iran," the ministry had said.