'Even Pakistanis are tried by military court'

Visiting former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri on Tuesday refused to be drawn into the row over the death sentence awarded to alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav by the Pakistan military court, saying even his countrymen were tried by military courts.

“Even Pakistanis are being tried by military courts,” Kasuri told media on the sidelines of a seminar here.

“Let’s not let things drift. It is in the national interest of Pakistan to have good relations with India,” Kasuri said at the seminar on ‘Improving Indo-Pak relations’ organised by the Centre For Peace and Progress. Kasuri, the author of ‘Neither a Hawk Nor a Dove: An Insider’s Account of Pakistan’s Foreign Policy’, said a solution based on force is not tenable.

“Pakistan can do nothing and neither can India. What has force got us? Simply outwitting each other will not work, he said. Earlier in the day, Pakistan-based Samaa TV quoted Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit saying that Jadhav was indeed a terrorist.

“It’s a proven fact that India carries out terrorist-driven activities in Pakistan. And when a terrorist himself has accepted he was a spy, the Indian government is having issues. We haven’t done anything wrong in giving the sentence to Jadhav. He should meet his fate,” said Basit.