PM Narendra Modi should mount pressure on Pakistan to secure Kulbhushan Jadhav's release: Congress

NEW DELHI: The Congress today urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to mount diplomatic pressure on Pakistan to secure the release of Kulbhushan Jadhav, who has been sentenced to death by a Pakistan military court.

"Death sentence is a deliberate provocation to India. BJP Govt needs to travel beyond advisories. PM must intervene to secure his release (sic)," Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted.

He said India needs to immediately mount an international diplomatic offensive to free Jadhav, who was yesterday given a death sentence for "espionage and sabotage activities" in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province and Karachi city.

Attacking Pakistan for conducting a hurried trial of Jadhav without a prior notice to India, Surjewala said the development was symptomatic of "Pakistan's Kangaroo court justice".

He also cited media reports about Pakistan PM's advisor on foreign affairs Sartaz Aziz's statement in his country's senate in December last year that there was "insufficient evidence against Jadhav".

"Will PM pickup the phone & tell Pak about the falsehood of case against KulbhushanJadhav as admitted by Sartaj Aziz? (sic)," his tweet accompanying a media report on Aziz's statement read.