New Delhi to Appeal Against Pakistan's Death Sentence of Alleged Indian Spy

India will appeal against a Pakistani court's decision to sentence Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav, accused of espionage against Islamabad, to death once it has a copy of the charges brought against him, India's Ambassador to Pakistan Gautam Bambawale said Friday.

NEW DELHI (Sputnik) — Pakistani Field General Court Martial declared the death sentence verdict to Jadgav on Monday. The move prompted sharp criticism by Indian authorities, who warned Pakistan about the severe consequences of the potential execution for bilateral relations.

"We will definitely appeal against the judgement. Till we know what is in the charge-sheet and the verdict, how can we appeal?" Bambawale said after visiting the Pakistani Foreign Ministry as quoted by the Hindustan Times newspaper.

Jadhav, 46, a former Indian navy personnel and businessman, was arrested by Pakistani authorities in March 2016 on charges of conspiring against Pakistan and conducting spy activities in the country's cities of Balochistan and Karachi. Pakistan's government considers him to be an active officer of the Indian Navy working for the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) of the Indian foreign intelligence agency.

According to the Indian Foreign Ministry, Jadhav was kidnapped in 2016 from Iran while his subsequent detention had never been "explained credibly" by the Pakistani side. New Delhi says that the Indian government had made formal requests for consular access to Jadhav 13 times since his arrest, but the requests had been rejected by the Pakistani authorities.