Kulbhushan Jadhav: A ‘shy man’ who kept to himself

The top United Nations court will announce its verdict on Wednesday on India’s petition challenging the death sentence against former naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav by a Pakistani military court for his alleged involvement in spying.

The Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) president Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf will read the court’s decision in a sitting at 6.30 pm India time on Wednesday.

Here is what we know about Kulbhushan Jadhav:

* Kulbhushan Jadhav was arrested by Pakistani authorities on March 3, 2016, in Balochistan on charges of espionage and involvement in subversive activities. India was informed about the arrest on March 25, 2016, and Islamabad has not offered any explanation for this delay. Jadhav was sentenced to death in April 2017 after a secret trial by a military court.

Also read: Have concrete proof against Kulbushan Jadhav, says Pakistan foreign minister

* New Delhi denies all charges and says Jadhav was coerced into accepting charges in a purported video of his confession. After being petitioned by India in May 2017, the ICJ directed Pakistan to “take all measures at its disposal” to ensure Jadhav was not executed pending the court’s final judgment.

Also read: In the cause of peace, Kulbhushan Jadhav must not die

* Kulbhushan Jadhav spent his early days in Maharashtra’s Parel and lived in the police quarters with his family.

* In Anewadi village in Maharashtra, where his family owns land, people remember the 48-year-old as a shy man who kept mostly to himself. Residents say Jadhav gave away school uniforms, blankets and other school stationery.

* Jadhav used to come down to Anewadi on a couple of trips every year and spent most of his time in the farms that ring the village. The villagers say Jadhav was a family man and they often saw him taking care of his parents.

* They said Jadhav stayed in the red-bricked, asbestos-roofed, one-storey family home that stands out among the cramped clusters of small pukka houses in the village.

* A childhood friend of the ex-naval officer Tulsiram Pawar, who was his neighbour, told HT in 2017 that the former National Defence Academy alumnus was good at both sports and studies.

* Pawar said Jadhav was helpful and “always there when someone needed him”, recounting the time when Jadhav rushed with the aid of doctors to help a woman in their locality who need immediate medical attention.