ISLAMABAD: On March 3, 2016, Pakistani authorities detained Kulbhushan Jadhav, a serving Indian army officer, for espionage in the southwest Balochistan region.
Today marks the completion of seven years since the arrest of a RAW agent, which served as a reminder to the world of India’s role in supporting terrorism in Pakistan.
The RAW agent Commander Kulbhushan alias Hussain Mubarek Patel was discovered aiding and abetting several terrorist attacks on Pakistani soil that resulted in the deaths of numerous unarmed civilians. He was detained in Pakistan while travelling on an Iranian passport and is from Mashkel, Baluchistan. On behalf of the Indian government, he participated in espionage, terrorism, and sabotage against the state of Pakistan.
He entered the Indian National Defence Academy in 1987 and was commissioned in the engineering branch of the Indian Navy in 1991. He was born on April 15, 1969, in the Maharashtra state’s Sangli city.
Towards the end of 2013, Kulbhushan Jadhav was apprehended by the Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), which has been engaged in a number of disruptive actions in Balochistan and Karachi.
His mission was to meet with Baloch insurgents and work with them to commit crimes. RAW gave him the alias Hossein Mubarak Patel in order to hide his true identity.
Kulbhushan Jadhav disclosed during questioning that he had communication with Haji Baloch at Wadh, who supported the Baloch separatists and the Islamic State network in Karachi financially and logistically.
The Indian spy also admitted that Haji Baloch was in communication with the perpetrators of the Safoora bus incident, in which 45 Ismaili passengers were shot and killed.
He provided intelligence that led to the arrest of hundreds of undercover agents trying to undermine the stability of Pakistan.
On April 10, 2017, the Field General Court Martial (FGCM) sentenced Kulbhushan Jadhav to death after finding him responsible for grave crimes against the state of Pakistan.
In response to an India-filed petition, the International Court of Justice ordered Pakistan to grant Kulbhushan Jadhav complete and unrestricted consular access to Indian officials in July 2019. Nevertheless, the court rejected India’s request that his conviction be overturned. Kulbhushan Jadhav is still a living example of Indian hostility and state-sponsored terrorism against Pakistan seven years after his incarceration.
After being given numerous chances, New Delhi has declined to utilise the legal options being offered by Islamabad for its spy Kulbhushan Jadhav.
