Jadhav has right to appeal against sentence within 60 days: Pakistan

April 11, 2017

Islamabad, Apr 11: Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif today said that Kulbhushan Jadhav has a right to appeal against his death sentence within 60 days, even as he justified the death penalty given to the Indian national.

Jadhav, 46, was awarded death sentence by military Field General Court Martial under the army act for his alleged involvement in terrorism and espionage. The death sentence was confirmed by powerful army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa.

Speaking in the Senate, upper house of parliament, the defence minister today said that Jadhav has the right to appeal against his death sentence within 60 days.

The sentence sparked angry reaction from India which said Jadhav's execution would be treated as "premeditated murder."

Asif dismissed Indian concerns that proper legal process was not observed in the trial. "There was nothing in the [legal] proceedings that was against the law," he said.

He also rejected the charges of premeditated murder.

"It's not premeditated murder, what's happening in Kashmir is (premeditated murder)," he alleged.

The minister further said that the trial of Jadhav went for went on "for three months", rejecting rumours that he was hastily convicted.

The minister said those working against the security of Pakistan would be treated with "iron hands."

"Whether the enemies come from across the border or within Pakistan, they will receive punishment," he said.

He said that Jadhav had confessed his crime in the confessional statement, which is available on record.

Pakistan claims its security forces had arrested Jadhav from the restive Balochistan province on March 3 last year after he reportedly entered from Iran. It also claimed that he was "a serving officer in the Indian Navy."

The Pakistan Army had also released a "confessional video" of Jadhav after his arrest.

India had acknowledged that Jadhav had served with the navy but denied that he has any connection with the government.

The incident is expected to further deteriorate already strained Indo-Pak ties which were hit after deadly attacks in Pathankot and Uri by Pakistan-based terrorists last year.

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3 Indian youths arrested in Canada for Sikh separatist leader’s murder

News Network

May 4,2024

Canadian Police said they have arrested three Indians they suspect were part of the alleged hit squad that had killed Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist leader involved with the Khalistan movement, which calls for an independent Sikh state.

Nijjar's killing had become the epicentre of a diplomatic row between India and Canada last year after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged the role of "Indian agents" in the murder. India had rejected the charge as "absurd" and "motivated".

The three arrested Indians - Karan Brar, 22, Kamalpreet Singh, 22, Karanpreet Singh, 28 - were living as non-permanent residents in Alberta for three to five years, said Superintendent Mandeep Mooker, who leads the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team. The police have also released their photos.

They have been charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, showed court documents.

Police said that none of the suspects were known to them earlier and they were investigating their possible ties to the Indian government.

The murder remains "very much under active investigation," Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Assistant Commissioner David Teboul told a press conference on Friday.

"There are separate and distinct investigations ongoing into these matters, certainly not limited to the involvement of the people arrested today, and these efforts include investigating connections to the government of India," CTV News quoted him as saying.

Nijjar, a Canadian citizen who was wanted in India on various terror charges, was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Surrey on June 18, 2023. Trudeau's charge against India sparked a massive row later that year with both countries expelling diplomats of the other country.

A fresh row erupted earlier this week after separatist slogans on 'Khalistan' were raised at an event addressed by Trudeau, prompting New Delhi to summon their Deputy High Commissioner and lodge a strong protest.

On the sidelines of the event, Trudeau told reporters that Nijjar's killing had created a "problem" that he could not have ignored.

India rejected his comment and said it once again showed Canada provides political space given to separatism, extremism, and violence. "This not only impacts India-Canada relations but also encourages a climate of violence and criminality in Canada to the detriment of its own citizens," foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

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