Pakistan’s military on Thursday said that an Indian naval officer who was sentenced to death by a military court on charges of espionage and sabotage had submitted a petition for mercy to the nation’s army chief, seeking a pardon.
In a statement, it said Kulbhushan Jadhav in his petition “admitted his involvement in espionage, terrorist and subversive activities” in Pakistan.
Jadhav has expressed “remorse” over his actions, which had caused a loss of lives. It said the man earlier appealed to the military’s appellate court, which rejected his petition, it said.
Jadhav was arrested in March last year and was sentenced to death by a military tribunal in April.
The latest development comes weeks after India took Pakistan to the International Court of Justice in an effort to save Jadhav’s life.
India told the court that Pakistan did not provide it with consular access, despite repeated requests.
Acting on the Indian petition, the court asked Pakistan not to take any action that could affect the hearings.
Under Pakistan’s laws, Jadhav has the right to appeal to Pakistan’s president for a pardon if the army chief rejects his petition.
Pakistani officials say Jadhav has been linked to 1,345 deaths in acts of terrorism in Pakistan, making secret trips to Pakistan from Iran before his arrest.
The military on Thursday issued a new confessional video statement from Jadhav in which he said he had visited Pakistan’s port city of Karachi twice for intelligence gathering on naval installations.
Jadhav admitted his role in fomenting violence in the southwestern Balochistan provinc and also admitted that Pakistan caught him on entering Balochistan province.
It was unclear whether he made these confessions under duress.
However, Jadhav’s latest confessions are in contrast with New Delhi’s claim that he was last year kidnapped from Iran.
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