Pakistan Sentences Indian Citizen 'Abducted from Iran' to Death

A military court in Pakistan on Monday sentenced an Indian citizen accused of espionage to death, an action that will escalate tensions between the two nuclear-armed countries. According to Reuters, Pakistan claims that the Indian citizen named Kulbhushan Sudhir Jadhav was arrested on March 3, 2016, in the troubled region of Balochistan, which has long been the scene of conflict between Pakistani security forces and armed separatist groups. Pakistan alleges that this Indian national entered Balochistan from Iran at the time of his arrest and has been employed by India's Research and Analysis Wing since 2013, an agency that reportedly established an office in the Chabahar region in 2003. At that time, the Indian government denied the espionage allegations and also refuted claims of the arrest of its citizen on Pakistani soil, asserting that this Indian national was 'abducted' from Iranian territory. The Pakistani armed forces stated in a statement that the accused confessed to receiving orders from Indian intelligence agencies to design, coordinate, and organize sabotage in Balochistan with the aim of 'creating instability and waging war against Pakistan.' This sentence was issued by a field military court and has been confirmed by General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the chief of the Pakistani armed forces. The Pakistani military has not announced the date of execution. The Indian government has not yet reacted to this ruling. Pakistan has consistently accused the Indian government of aiding separatists in the Balochistan region, but the Indian government denies this accusation. Conversely, the Indian government claims that Pakistan supports armed and extremist groups in the Kashmir region under its control, the only area where the majority of the population is Muslim and which Pakistan claims ownership of. Relations between the two countries severely deteriorated last September after 19 soldiers were killed in an armed attack on an Indian army base in Kashmir, which Delhi claims was carried out by groups supported by Pakistan. Pakistan has denied providing practical support to armed groups active in the Kashmir region under Indian control, claiming it only provides political support to Muslims living in that area.