Janjivan Bureau
New Delhi : External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today rubbished reports that Congress leader Shashi Tharoor will help the Narendra Modi government in drafting a statement on Kulbhushan Jadhav to be read out in Parliament.
“There is no dearth of talent in my ministry. I have the assistance of very able secretaries,” she said in curt tweet.
She also posted the news report to which she was reacting.
According to the news report, Tharoor, also former Minister of State for foreign affairs, will help the government draft the ‘Statement of Solidarity’ on the issue of Kulbhushan Jadhav. This statement will be adopted by both Houses of Parliament.
“The request to draft the resolution came from Swaraj after Parliament today condemned Pakistan for sentencing Kulbhushan Jadhav to death,” the report said.
Jadhav, a former Indian Navy officer, has been sentenced to death by a military court in Pakistan on the charges of “espionage and sabotage” activities, triggering outrage in India.
“There is no evidence of wrongdoing by Jadhav. If anything, he is the victim of a plan that seeks to cast aspersions on India to deflect international attention from Pakistan’s well-known record of sponsoring and supporting terrorism,” Swaraj had told both Houses of Parliament earlier in the day.
Even Pak civilians are tried by military courts: Kasuri
Amid fresh strain in Indo-Pak ties, former Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri today defended Kulbhushan Jadhav’s death sentence, saying even Pakistanis were being tried by military courts.
“Even many civilians in Pakistan have been tried by military courts,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a conference while replying to a barrage of questions on the death sentence to Jadhav.
In his address at a conference on Indo-Pak relations, he said relations between the two countries have nosedived but the only way out to check it is to engage in talks.
Kasuri said both the sides must not allow things to drift away and that it is in Pakistan’s interest to have good relations with India.
At the same time he admitted that things between the two neighbours are not looking good.
“Relationships are not normal right now. Rhetoric not particularly good on either side of the border. I must admit I was initially hesitant, but it is these times that we must persist and talk about peace.
He said India will not be able to isolate Pakistan internationally as Islamabad will react to it strongly.
“It will never happen as Pakistan will react,” he said, adding the idea of cutting off Pakistan from its South Asian moorings will not be in the interest of both sides.
Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit, Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar and senior lawyer Ram Jethmalani were among dignitaries present at the conference.
During the talk, Kasuri was constantly asked to respond on the issue of Kubhushan Jadhav, but he remain tight lipped.
“One former British Secretary had spoken about the policy of benign neglect. But, I do not think that benign neglect on either side will work. It will never be on an even keel,” he said, as he emphasised the need for dialogues to resolve outstanding issues, including the Kashmir dispute.
Earlier in the day, India warned Pakistan to consider the “consequences” on their ties if Jadhav is hanged in the alleged espionage case and vowed to go “out of the way” to save him amid an outrage in this country.
Pak will be condemned worldwide if Jadhav hangs: Naidu
Pakistan will be condemned across the world if it hangs Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said today.
“We leave their (Pakistan’s) people. They are not able to come out of their old habits. It is very unfortunate. Whole world is watching what is happening and and it will attract worldwide condemnation,” the information and broadcasting minister told reporters outside Parliament.
A Pakistani military court has sentenced Jadhav to death in an alleged espionage case.
Naidu also hit out at Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi for his remarks alleging BJP policies were to blame for poor voter turnout and violence in the Srinagar Lok Sabha bypolls.
“Who is responsible for the Jammu and Kashmir problem?…
Comments for short political gains are not good for anyone,” the minister said.
He suggested that one should think carefully and speak in favour of the country on such sensitive issues.
“One should keep in mind the country’s unity and integrity before speaking…Pakistan is creating problems and separatists are fuelling the fire,” Naidu said.
Yesterday, Gandhi had said that decades of hard work to build trust in the democratic process in Kashmir has been reversed by the BJP government.
Eight people were killed on Sunday in firing by security forces during the Srinagar Lok Sabha bypoll. Only 7.14 per cent of the electorate came out to cast their votes in the constituency.
Pak fully capable to respond to any spectrum of threat:Sharif
Islamabad: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today said Pakistan’s armed forces are fully capable and prepared to respond to any spectrum of threat.
The remarks by Sharif come against the backdrop of spike in Indo-Pak tensions over the death sentence awarded to Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav by a military court and on a day when New Delhi warned Islamabad to consider the consequences on bilateral ties if he is hanged.
Sharif at the same time said that Pakistan wants good relations with all countries, particularly its neighbours.
“The nation has full trust in the country’s armed forces,” he said, assuring the forces of government’s full support in equipping it to address modern day challenges.
Sharif said the concept of national security has undergone a transformation and wars are no longer an exclusive sphere of military forces, Radio Pakistan reported.
Jadhav, the 46-year-old former naval officer, has been sentenced to death for alleged “spying”.
Reacting strongly to the move, India summoned Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit in New Delhi yesterday and warned Islamabad that it is a case of “premeditated murder”.
Addressing the passing out parade of graduating cadets at Pakistan Air Force Academy (PAF) Asghar Khan in Khyber- Pakhtunkhwa, Sharif said that cooperation, rather than conflict and shared prosperity, rather than mutual suspicion, is the hallmark of Pakistan’s policy.
“Pakistan is a peace loving country and has always maintained the policy of having friendly relations with other countries particularly its neighbours,” Sharif said.
He said Pakistan on its part will never hesitate to extend the hand of friendship to all and will never waver from returning goodwill with even more goodwill.
Sharif, however, said “despite our desire for peaceful coexistence, we cannot remain oblivious to defending our sovereignty and protecting our independence”.
