A brief reunion: Kulbhushan Jadhav to meet mother, wife in Islamabad today

NEW DELHI: Kulbhushan Jadhav's wife and mother will on Monday arrive in Pakistan to meet the Indian prisoner on death row.

They will arrive in Islamabad by a commercial flight and leave the same day after the meeting. India's Deputy High Commissioner JP Singh will accompany the visitors to the meeting.

"India informs that the mother and wife of Commander Jadhav will arrive by commercial flight on 25 Dec and leave the same day. Indian DHC in Islamabad will be the accompanying diplomat," Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal had tweeted.

Pakistan on December 8, had granted permission to Jadhav's kin to meet him and on December 20, the neighbouring country had issued the visa to Jadhav's wife and mother.

Pakistan has repeatedly denied India consular access to Jadhav on the ground that it was not applicable in cases related to spies. It said that Jadhav is not an ordinary person as he had entered the country with the intent of 'spying' and carrying out 'sabotage' activities.

Kulbhushan Jadhav – the alleged Indian spy – was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of 'espionage' and 'terrorism' in April this year. Following this, India moved the International Court of Justice ​(ICJ) in May.

The ICJ halted his execution on India's appeal pending the final verdict by it. 

Pakistan had earlier said that Jadhav was not under any threat of immediate execution. "Let me assure you that the Jadhav is under no threat of immediate execution," Faisal had said. 

Pakistan claims that its security forces arrested Jadhav alias Hussein Mubarak Patel from restive Balochistan province on March 3 last year after he reportedly entered from Iran. India, however, maintains that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Indian Navy.

India, however, maintains that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Navy.

Jadhav had filed an appeal with the Army chief to seek clemency, which is still pending.

After India approached the ICJ, a 10-member bench on May 18 restrained Pakistan from executing Jadhav till adjudication of the case. Jadhav's sentencing had evoked a sharp reaction in India.

In its application, India had also informed the ICJ that it learnt about the death sentence against Jadhav from a press release.

India acknowledges that Jadhav had served in the Indian Navy but denies that he has any connection with the government.

India has also handed over to Pakistan an appeal by Jadhav's mother, initiating a process to get his conviction overturned.

India has warned Pakistan of consequences and damage to bilateral ties if the "premeditated murder" was carried out.

In June 2017, India had dismissed as "farcical" Pakistan releasing a fresh "confessional video" of Jadhav and had said that "manufactured facts" could not alter the reality in the case.

In a strong reaction, the External Affairs Ministry said India expects Pakistan to desist from attempting to influence the proceedings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the case through false propaganda.