Pakistan says it is granting consular access to an alleged Indian spy on death row.
Pakistan's foreign ministry posted on Twitter: "Consular access for Indian spy Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav, a serving Indian naval officer and RAW operative, is being provided on Monday 2 September 2019." RAW is the Research and Analysis Wing - India's intelligence agency.
A senior Indian government official who confirmed the meeting told the French news agency (AFP) that New Delhi hoped "Pakistan will ensure right atmosphere so that the meeting is free, fair, meaningful..."
Jadhav was arrested in March 2016 for entering Pakistan from neighboring Iran with fake travel documents.
A military court later tried and sentenced him to death in April 2017, finding him guilty of espionage and running a deadly terrorist network in Pakistan.
India says Jadhav is a former naval officer and rejects the charges against him as baseless, saying he had no connection with the government.
Pakistani officials said Jadhav confessed before the country's military court that he was tasked by the Indian intelligence agency to "plan, coordinate and organize espionage, terrorism and sabotage activities" against Pakistan.
New Delhi asked the International of Justice to stop Islamabad from executing Jadhav, arguing he was denied diplomatic assistance during what India called an "unfair trial."
Islamabad defended its stance of not granting diplomatic access to Jadhav, saying he was a serving officer of the Indian navy and had confessed to his crimes before "a competent authority."
