According to sources in Indian security establishment, Kulbhushan Jadhav was kidnapped by Mullah Omar Irani of Jaish-ul-Adl from Sarbaz city, around 52km from Chabahar. Irani then handed over Jadhav to the Pakistan Army.
Screengrab of Mullah Omar Irani of Jaish-ul-Adl who allegedly kidnapped Kulbhushan Jadhav.
New Delhi: Kulbhushan Jadhav was kidnapped from near Chabahar port in Iran by Jaish-ul-Adl, a terror outfit which allegedly has close links with the Pakistan Army. This revelation punches holes in Pakistan's stand that Jadhav is an Indian spy.
According to sources in the Indian security establishment, Jadhav was kidnapped by Mullah Omar Irani of Jaish-ul-Adl from Sarbaz city, around 52km from Chabahar. Irani then handed over Jadhav to the Pakistan Army.
Jaish-ul-Adl is believed to be fighting against Baloch insurgents along with the Pakistan Army and commanders of the terror outfit visit Islamabad frequently.
The sources added that Jaish-ul-Adl collects money from Pakistan's embassies in Iran and Bahrain. The terrorist organisation works closely with Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Lashkar-e-Khurasan.
This revelation comes on a day when the Pakistan Foreign Office released a new video of Jadhav on wherein he is purportedly seen thanking the Pakistan government for allowing him to meet his mother and wife.
The video has been released just a few days after the Pakistan Foreign Office released photos of Jadhav meeting his wife and mother in Islamabad. In the video, Jadhav appears to be saying that his mother and wife were happy to meet him.
"She was satisfied with my health. I am okay here and they don't harm me," Jadhav is heard saying. Questions are being raised on the authenticity and timing of the video.
While there has been no statement from Jadhav's family, a friend of the former Navy officer told News18 that Jadhav is under pressure. "The last time the family met him, the photos showed that he had injuries. So, now they are on a back foot. This video looks like Pakistan is putting pressure on him to make a statement. This is an old game of our neighbour," said Sachin Suresh Kale, Jadhav's friend.
Earlier, Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Pakistan military court. The issue has become yet another point of contention between the two countries. Arrested on March 3 last year by Pakistani security forces in Balochistan, Jadhav was termed as a 'spy of Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) and serving officer in the Indian Navy' by Pakistan.
The claim has been refuted by the Indian government, which has stated that Jadhav was a former Navy officer, who had nothing to do with the government. Reacting strongly to Jadhav's sentencing, India has said that if the ruling was carried out, "the government and people of India will regard it as a case of premeditated murder".
The issue recently echoed in both Houses of Indian Parliament where all parties came together to condemn the "indefensible" verdict of Pakistan military court. India has also raised the issue in International Court of Justice.