India warns Pakistan of 'consequences' over death sentence to 'spy'

India has warned Pakistan that a military court's death sentence to alleged spy Kulbhushan Jadhav would have serious "consequences" for bilateral relations. There is a growing clamour in India to bring the former naval officer back home.

The Field General Court Martial (FGCM) in Rawalpindi sentenced Jadhav, who was arrested in March 2016, to death on Monday, 10 April, for alleged espionage activities in the restive Balochistan region. India denied the spying charges but acknowledged he was a former naval officer.

India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj assured the country's upper house of parliament on Tuesday, 11 April, that New Delhi would leave no stone unturned to to get justice for Jadhav.

"We will go out of the way to get justice for Jadhav, he is a son of India. There is no evidence of wrongdoing by him," she said.

Stating that it was "an indefensible verdict", she said the charges against Jadhav were "concocted" and "farcical". She went on to say that the death sentence was an "act of premeditated murder".

Swaraj said New Delhi would appeal against the verdict in Islamabad's Supreme Court as well as petition Pakistan's president to save Jadhav.

Swaraj was echoing Home Minister Rajnath Singh's earlier remarks. He had chosen equally strong words to condemn Pakistan's actions. "Basic norms of law and justice were violated. I want to tell the house that the government will do whatever it takes to make sure Kulbhushan Jadhav gets justice," Singh said.

Pakistani authorities have been accusing Indian intelligence of covertly interfering in the regional conflict in Balochistan, where there is a long-running separatist movement. Indian officials have dismissed the allegations.