The Pakistani military announced on Thursday that former Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav had filed a mercy petition with Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa. Mr. Jadhav was sentenced to death by a military court in April for espionage and terrorism. The International Court of Justice in May halted the execution on India’s appeal.
In a statement by the Inter Services Public Relations, military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said Mr. Jadhav had filed the mercy plea with a confessional statement that he was involved in subversive activities in Balochistan.
Mr. Jadhav was said to have been arrested last year from Balochistan. “Today, I genuinely feel, after the time spent in Pakistan, very ashamed and seek pardon of the acts and sins and crimes I have committed here against the nation and people of Pakistan,” he was quoted as saying.
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Mr. Jadhav’s second ‘confessional’ video was posted on the Facebook page of the military’s public relations wing, ISPR.
India lashed out at Pakistan for the “lack of transparency” in Mr. Jadhav’s trial and mercy petition process, and indicated that Pakistan’s release of the video was an “attempt to introduce prejudice” in the ongoing International Court of Justice appeal.
“India is determined to pursue the matter in ICJ and is confident that justice will be done without being affected by these unwarranted and misleading steps taken by Pakistan,” official spokesperson Gopal Baglay said.
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Here is the video of Mr. Jadhav's alleged confession released by the Pakistan military on Thursday
Here is the full text of the alleged confession as released by the Pakistan military
( With inputs from Suhasini Haidar )