Indian spy to meet mother, wife in Pakistan

NEW DELHI, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- The wife and mother of Kulbhushan Jadhav, an alleged Indian spy, will travel to Pakistan Monday to meet him, officials said.

Jadhav, a former Indian navy officer, was sentenced to death on charges of spying by Pakistan. He is in Pakistani jail.

"The meeting will take place at Pakistan foreign ministry in Islamabad. They will reach there by a commercial flight and leave the same day," an official said.

Reports said Indian deputy high commissioner in Pakistan, J P Singh will accompany Jadhav's wife and mother.

Last week Pakistan issued visa to the two women to visit Islamabad to meet Jadhav.

India approached International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Pakistan, saying the death sentence was a violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.

The ICJ stayed the execution of Jhadav in May this year.

Jadhav according to Pakistan was arrested on March 3 last year in restive Balochistan province and sentenced to death by military court for carrying out "espionage and sabotage activities against Pakistan".

Shortly after his arrest, Pakistan military's Inter Services Public Relations released his confessional video admitting involvement in spying.

Balochistan is hit by a separatist insurgency and Pakistan blames India of backing the separatism in the province.

India meanwhile, rejects Pakistan's claims and said Jadhav was "kidnapped" and tried on "concocted charges".

New Delhi believes Jadhav has been picked up from Iran, where he was involved in business activities after retiring from the Indian navy.

The two nuclear-armed neighbours - India and Pakistan have a long history of diplomatic spars and both sides often accuse each other of sending spies into their territories to create trouble.

Last year the two countries blamed each others officials at their respective missions in New Delhi and Islamabad for spying and subsequently forcing each other to withdrew them. Enditem