Jadhav death sentence: Uddhav seeks stern action against Pak

Mumbai: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday demanded strict action against Pakistan where a court awarded death penalty to Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav.

A Pakistani military court on Monday awarded death sentence to Jadhav after declaring him a "spy".

"Merely expressing feelings or threatening Pakistan of consequences will not work now. Now is the time for direct action to teach them a permanent lesson. Jadhav has to be brought back at the earliest," Thackeray told reporters at his residence 'Matoshree' in suburban Bandra.

He said the Sena was criticised when it protested the welcoming of Pakistani politicians and artistes in India, but after events such as the awarding of death penalty to Jadhav, the nationalism of people suddenly springs up.

Notably, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj yesterday made a statement in both the Houses of Parliament, asserting that India will go "out of way" to ensure justice to Jadhav who is an "innocent kidnapped Indian".

Asked about the fate of Sena-BJP relations after his party attended the NDA constituents meet in New Delhi earlier this week, Thackeray said, "Relations are going in the right direction at a snail's pace."

The Sena chief today felicitated the actors of Marathi films "Ventilator" and "Kasaav" which recently won the National award.

"I feel proud of Marathi artistes. In future we will hold a Marathi film festival for regional movies. The whole world is felicitating these artistes and it is thus imperative that we felicitate them," he said.