Congress blames MEA for ill-treatment of Kulbhushan Jadhav`s family in Pakistan

Kulbhushan Jadhav, an Indian prisoner sentenced to death by Pakistani military court on false charges of spying, had met his mother and wife from behind a glass barrier in Islamabad.

New Delhi: Congress on Wednesday came out strongly in criticising the treatment meted out to Kulbhushan Jadhav's mother and wife in Pakistan recently. Slamming the Ministry of External Affairs, party leaders called it a diplomatic failure.

Jadhav, an Indian prisoner sentenced to death by Pakistani military court on false charges of spying, met his mother and wife from behind a glass barrier on Monday. While Pakistan called it a humanitarian gesture, the two women were subject to a number of humiliations including verbal assault from Pakistani journalists and being asked to take off their shoes, bangles, mangal sutra and bindi. Congress condemned these and said that the matter must be taken up with Pakistani authorities. "Manner in which Kulbhushan Jadhav's family was treated is inhuman. MEA should have ensured what kind of protocol is arranged for the family. It's a diplomatic failure on the part of our MEA and country," said senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily. "MEA or PM should have taken up the matter with their counterparts in Pakistan."

Even as there has been a massive uproar in India against how Jadhav's family was treated across the border, Congress demanded that the Indian citizen be brought back. "We condemn the way Kulbhushan Jadhav 's mother and wife were treated in Pakistan. Kulbhushan Jadhav should be brought back to the country," said Mallikarjun Kharge in Lok Sabha.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said she will make a statement in Parliament on the entire incident, on Thursday.