Pakistan said it would grant consular access to an alleged Indian spy on death row Monday, weeks after the International Court of Justice called for a review of his sentence in a case that has stoked tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals.

"Consular access for Indian spy Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav, a serving Indian naval officer and RAW operative, is being provided on Monday 2 September 2019," tweeted foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Faisal late Sunday.

A senior Indian government official confirmed the meeting, and told AFP that New Delhi hoped "Pakistan will ensure right atmosphere so that the meeting is free, fair, meaningful and effective in keeping with the letter and spirit of the ICJ orders".

The decision comes weeks after the ICJ in July ordered Islamabad to provide the prisoner with consular access but rejected India's demand that Jadhav be freed.

The former Indian naval officer was arrested in March 2016 in Pakistan's restive southwestern province of Balochistan -- a region where Islamabad has long accused New Delhi of backing separatist rebels.

According to Indian officials, Jadhav retired from the navy in 2001 and was running a "logistics" business in the Iranian port of Chabahar.

New Delhi insists he was taken captive in Iran before being moved to Pakistan and then forced to confess.

Tensions have soared between the arch-rivals in recent weeks following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's move last month to revoke the autonomy of its portion of the disputed Kashmir region.

In response Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has launched a diplomatic offensive against India and led mass protests lambasting Modi.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since independence, and has been the spark for two major wars and countless skirmishes between the rivals.

Related Links
News From Across The Stans

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Trump: US to keep 8,600 troops in Afghanistan after deal with Taliban
Washington (AFP) Aug 29, 2019
President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States will keep a permanent presence in Afghanistan, with 8,600 troops initially, even after a deal is reached with the Taliban. "We're going down to 8,600 and then we make a determination from there," Trump said in an interview with Fox News radio. "We're always going to have a presence." Trump also warned that if another attack on the United States originated from Afghanistan "we would come back with a force like ... never before." The ... read more