Pakistan on Monday rejected India's assertion that it is violating a bilateral pact by not giving access to retired Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav, who has been sentenced to death by a military court there.
India has made 15 requests for consular access to 46- year-old Jadhav, who has been convicted of "espionage and sabotage" by a Pakistan army court.
Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit told PTI in an interview that as per the bilateral pact on consular access, cases pertaining to political and security issues, will be decided on merit, indicating that consular access cannot be taken for granted.
Categorically dismissing the charge that Jadhav was a spy, India has maintained that he was kidnapped by Pakistani authorities from Iran where he had legitimate business interest.
Rejecting India's stand that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran, Basit said he was caught in Balochistan and tried for "espionage and sabotage".
Sentencing will not help cause of peace, says Jaitley
New York: Union Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday said the unprovoked gesture of a Pakistani military court to sentence Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav to death through a "kangaroo court" will not help the cause of peace in the region.
Speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations, a prominent think tank, the finance minister blamed Pakistan for the strained India-Pakistan ties.
Jaitley, who is also holding the portfolio of Defence Minister, said India made many efforts to improve the ties with Pakistan over the last few years but every time there was a negative reaction.
"Now we have this unprovoked gesture of a military court sentencing an Indian to death through a kangaroo court process," said Jaitley, adding that such acts will help the cause of peace in the region at all.