Pakistan sends shoes of Kulbhushan Jadhav’s wife for forensic examination

Pakistan sends shoes of Kulbhushan Jadhav’s wife for forensic examination

Pakistan authorities have sent the shoes worn by Kulbhushan Jadhav’s wife, Chetankul Jadhav for forensic examination to determine the nature of the suspected presence of a foreign object.

This comes a day after India reacted strongly to the way Pakistan government conducted the Kulbhushan Jadhav-family meet , including asking Avanti (mother) and Chetankul Jadhav (Kulbhushan’s wife) to remove their “mangal sutra, bangles and bindi “

A furore soon ensued after it surfaced that Chetankul’s shoes were not returned to her after the meet and now this step by the Pakistan authorities has only worsened the discourse over Islamabad’s disorderly conduct.

The authorities were ascertaining whether the “metallic object ” in the shoes was a camera or a recording chip, Pakistan Today quoted Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Mohammad Faisal as saying. A separate report in Dawn reported that the FO confirmed a “metallic substance” had been detected in Jadhav’s wife’s shoes that were retained by security officials prior to the meeting with the Indian death row prisoner at the Foreign Office in Islamabad.

Jadhav’s wife’s shoes were kept for inspection, while all other belongings, including jewellery, were returned, Faisal said, adding that she was given an alternative pair of shoes to wear after her shoes were removed.

In a statement issued last night, the FO made no mention of the “metallic substance” and had said that there was “something” in the shoes . In the statement, Pakistan rejected as “baseless” India’s contentions that Jadhav’s wife and mother were harassed and claimed that his wife’s shoes were confiscated on security grounds as there was “something” in it. “There was something in the shoe. It is being investigated. We gave her a pair of replacement shoes.

All her jewellery etc were returned after the meeting,” Faisal said. The external affairs ministry said in a statement yesterday that Pakistan went so far as to have the mangal sutra, bangles and bindi of Jadhav’s mother and wife removed before they could meet him. India also accused Pakistan of disregarding cultural and religious sensibilities of family members under the pretext of security.