Days after a military court in Pakistan awarded death sentence to alleged Indian spy, Kulbhushan Jadhav, Pakistan army has reportedly taken Karachi Don Uzair Baloch into custody. The Pakistani army has reportedly claimed that Baloch was helping Kulbhushan Jadhav in espionage activities against Pakistan.
Uzair Baloch was arrested by Pakistan Rangers in the January 2016 from the outskirts of Karachi and charged him espionage and anti-state activities. Pakistan have further claimed that Baloch was “involved” with Kulbhushan Jadhav.
When the Pakistan Rangers arrested Baloch, they alleged that he was a leader of the Lyari gang war and chief of proscribed Peoples Amn Committee (PAC). Meanwhile, the Indian government have affirmed that they would everything in their power to help Kulbhushan Jadhav.
In what is being touted as a rare scene, the political leaders stood united on the issue of Kulbhushan Jadhav where the members of the opposition urged the government to take action against Pakistan. Some even demanded that the government declare Pakistan as a terror state. External Affair Minister Sushma Swaraj also issued a statement asserting that Pakistan has no evidence to prove any wrongdoing by Jadhav. She also warned Pakistan of the consequences on the bilateral ties of both countries if they proceeded with the sentence adding that the country had also violated basic norms.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh also said that the government was with Jadhav and that they were trying their best to help him. In fact, advisor to Pak PM Sartaz Aziz had himself admitted that Pakistan did not have any “conclusive evidence” against Kulbhushan Jadhav.
Former Indian navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav was arrested in March 2016. India lodged a protest against the sentence and asserted that if Pakistan went ahead with the sentence, it would be regarded as a “premeditated murder”.
