Reviewing visa application of Kulbhushan Jadhav's mother: Pakistan Foreign Office

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan today said it is reviewing the visa application of the mother of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav, sentenced to death by a military court.

India had requested Pakistan to allow Avantika Jadhav to meet her son.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had said that she had written a "personal letter" to Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz asking for approval of Avantika's visa application so that she may travel to Pakistan.

She also said that Aziz did not even respond to her letter.

"I wrote a personal letter to Mr Sartaj Aziz for the grant of her visa to Pakistan. However, Mr Aziz has not shown the courtesy even to acknowledge my letter," she had tweeted.

During the weekly Foreign Office briefing, its Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said that asking for recommendations from Aziz to grant visas was against "diplomatic norms".

The pending visa application of the mother Jadhav is currently under review, he said.

He also accused India of imposing "conditions" for the approval of medical visas of Pakistani patients seeking medical treatment in the country.

On the situation on the Line of Control, Zakaria alleged that India had violated the ceasefire agreement 542 times in 2017 and 18 civilians had been killed as a result.

Protests have been registered with the Indian high commissioner and the deputy high commissioner, he said.

Jadhav, 46, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military tribunal in April on charges of espionage and terrorism.

Pakistan has dismissed India's consular access request to Jadhav more than 15 times. India has accused Pakistan of repeatedly violating the Vienna Convention by doing so.

India had approached the International Court of Justice in May seeking provisional stay to execution of Jadhav which was granted.