Is Kulbhushan Jadhav death sentence connected with missing Pak Army ex-officer in Nepal?

Indian authorities have, however, denied any knowledge about Lt Col (retd) Muhammad Habib Zahir.

New Delhi: As the news of the sentencing of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav to death by a Pakistan military court surfaced, many posts started to appear on the social media linking the development with the recent disappearance of a retired Pakistani Army officer from a town in Nepal near the Indian border.

According to The Times of India, Lt Col (retd) Muhammad Habib Zahir went to Nepal on April 05 for a job interview. His family says that Zahir went missing from Lumbini, around 6 km from the Indian border, on April 06.

Expectedly, the Pakistan media was quick to pin the blame for Zahir's missing on Indian intelligence agencies.

The Dawn claimed in a report that the Indian spy agency RAW (Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) could have been behind the abduction of the retired officer.

Indian authorities have, however, denied any knowledge about Habib, reported TOI.

India Today said the Indian side believes Pakistan quickened the sentencing of Jadhav to “prompt India to declare its course of action vis-a-vis Lt Col Habib”.

Pakistanis on social media, meanwhile, are blaming India for kidnapping Habib “to put pressure on Islamabad to release Kulbhushan Jadhav.”

The news of the disappearance of Lt Col Habib surfaced on Sunday after media found the news circulating on WhatsApp groups.

He was allegedly in Nepal for a job interview. He had flown from Lahore to Kathmandu on April 05 and flew to Lumbini the next day.

As soon as he landed, he sent his picture to his family. His family and friends claimed that they could not get in touch with him after that.