Tehran didn't seek access to Jadhav: Iran's envoy to Pakistan

Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan Mehdi Honardoost has said that Iran did not ask for consular access to alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav, who has been sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court.

During a reception at the Italian Embassy on Thursday, Honardoost clarified his country's position on the issue, saying Iran has nothing to do with Jadhav and it did not demand or request from Pakistan any consular access to the Indian national.

Elaborating further, Honardoost said that the news items claiming any such demand made by Iran are "false and baseless" and are part of a campaign to harm ties between Tehran and Islamabad, the Nation newspaper reported.

Earlier, Foreign Affairs Secretary Tehmina Janjua stated that no request has been received from the Iranian government for consular access to Jadhav.

She said: "Why Iran would ask for the consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav, as it is not their issue."

Earlier this week, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at the Hague in the Netherlands suspended the death sentence on Jadhav by the Pakistani military court.

However, Islamabad said that the Indian move (to approach ICJ in Jadhav case) was an attempt to divert attention from "state-sponsored terrorism in Pakistan" and that it was analysing the ICJ's authority in the matter.

--IANS

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