Jadhav's friends hoping for positive outcome after he meets his kin

Former naval officer and alleged spy Kulbhushan Jadhav's friends are hoping for a positive outcome, as he is scheduled to meet his wife and mother in Islamabad on 25 December.

Jadhav's friends are viewing the meeting between Jadhav and his wife as a positive step and said the visit would be a crucial one as it would reveal details about his physical and mental condition.

"We are feeling good that his mother and wife are being allowed to meet him. Consular accesses should have also been provided which would have given a positive result," Vandana Pawar, Jadhav's friend told ANI.

"We had told Jadhav's mother that whole India is with her and don't get afraid," she said.

Another friend of Jadhav, Arvind Singh expressed happiness that after a long time Jadhav would be seeing his wife and mother, and said the meeting which has come after a very long time should be considered as a moral victory for India.

"Earlier nothing was happening, and now, after this meeting, we are hoping that future developments in the case would take place in India's favour," he added.

Singh also asserted that for Jadhav's case, councilor access was essential, which has again been denied by Pakistani authorities.

Recently, a bike rally and human chain were organised in Mumbai by Jadhav's friends, in a bid to extend their support to his family at this crucial phase.

Jadhav's wife and mother will be meeting him today, for which the two women have reached Pakistan amid tight security.

Indian Deputy High Commissioner in Islamabad J.P. Singh will accompany them, along with one or two officers of the Pakistan Foreign Office, the Dawn reported.

The meeting will last between 15 minutes to an hour, and the two women will be allowed to speak to media if they wish to, the Dawn reported, citing diplomatic sources.

Jadhav was arrested in March this year, allegedly from Balochistan in Pakistan, over charges of involvement in espionage and subversive activities for India's intelligence agency - the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

India, however, maintains that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Indian Navy.

On April 10, 2017, Jadhav was sentenced to death by a military court.

On May 18, 2017, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) stayed the hanging, after India approached it against the death sentence.

-ANI