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The Pakistan government seems to be adamant on not to give India consular access to former Indian Navy officer and businessman Kulbhushan Jadhav, whom Pakistani agents kidnapped from Iran three years ago. Pakistan is falsely branding him as an Indian spy.
While interacting with reporters in Multan, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi recently indicated that the government was not in a mood to accept India’s request to grant consular access to Jadhav, who has been lodged in the Pakistani jail since he was kidnapped and brought to Pakistan.
Instead, Qureshi claimed that India did not want consular access for Jadhav. He also tried to blame the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for helping India to take the matter to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The law officers in Multan had told the Islamabad High Court in May that India had rejected Pakistan’s proposal to appoint a counsel for Jadhav saying that India’s sovereignty would stand violated if an Indian citizen was put on trial in a Pakistani court. The ICJ has ordered Pakistan not to execute Jadhav till his guilt is proved.
The Pakistan Supreme Court had awarded Jadhav the death penalty for allegedly spying for India. On the contrary, India has rejected the allegation saying the Pakistan government is trying to execute an innocent businessman to please its internal enemies.
Heritage Dharamshala saved
The Pakistan Supreme Court (SC) has stopped the demolition of a prominent heritage Dharam Shala in Karachi and subsequently the possible unrest among the Hindu community. The decision has come as a solace for the Hindu who was angry after a mob of 1,000 people had vandalised and burnt a Samadhi of a Hindu saint in Teri, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in December last year.
Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, a patron of the Pakistan Hindu Council, had petitioned in the Supreme Court pointing that the local government was planning to build a commercial building at the place of the Dharam Shala. The property was leased out by the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) to some private persons who were in the process of demolishing it.
In its order, the Supreme Court accepted Dr Vankwani’s argument that the Dharam Shala was constructed in 1932. A marble slab affixed on the building mentions the year 1932. Thus, it is a heritage site. The court also has ordered that no demolition activity of the building will be conducted by anyone. The Karachi commissioner will take over the possession of the building as well as the land and will also restrict entrance into it by any individual.
Securing Islamabad
In a high, the Islamabad Capital Administration has made a provision of a whopping Rs 123 million for maintaining law and order in the city. It is the highest ever financial allocation for this purpose in the Capital.
The money will be used to ensure that the sensitive areas of the city are secured in the wake of protests, mainly by religious groups, additional police are deployed apart from obtaining the services of the Frontier Constabulary (FC) and other paramilitary forces.
The Islamabad police and other law enforcement were on their toes in May in the wake of protests by several religious and political parties against Israeli aggression in the Al-Aqsa mosque. Besides, there were several protest gatherings by political parties even in the Red Zone. As a result, heavy police deployments were made.
Interestingly, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s annual gross salary has been proposed at Rs 2.44 million. The amount for PM House expenses is suggested to be Rs 210 million.
