All India Radio airs save Kulbhushan Jadhav pitch to Pakistan audience
NEW DELHI: Killing a traveller is a sin in Islam, a traveller has Allah’s sympathy — that’s the pitch on Kulbhushan Jadhav in All India Radio’s (AIR) special services aimed at audiences in Pakistan.
Jadhav, an Indian citizen, has been sentenced to death by a secret military court in Pakistan. India has strongly protested the decision and warned Pakistan that carrying out the death sentence will amount to "pre-mediated murder".
New Delhi has also said that contrary to Islamabad’s claims about his espionage activities, Jadhav was a traveller doing business in Iran and his presence in Pakistan hasn’t been explained "adequately" by authorities there.
AIR’s External Services Division runs seven broadcasts every day targeted at listeners in Pakistan and Afghanistan. These broadcasts are in six languages — Pashto, Balochi, Punjabi, Urdu, Sindhi and Saraiki. AIR officials said Sindh, Punjab and Baloch areas of Pakistan had "significantly high number of listeners".
AIR bulletins on Jadhav are part of India’s diplomatic offensive. Airing of Jadhavrelated content started from Monday. The argument in these bulletins is made sharply and forcefully.
"A musafir (traveller) is one who has Allah’s sympathy, and Allah’s power guides him throughout his journeys. Killing a musafir or even thinking of harming him is a sin in Islam," says one of the bulletins that was broadcast on Tuesday.
"We have been trying to emphasise in our bulletins that the sentence defies all tenets of Islam," AIR’s directorgeneral Fayyaz Sheheryar told ET. These bulletins have also urged the people of Pakistan to speak up against this "anti- Islamic" act of their state.
Jadhav, an Indian citizen, has been sentenced to death by a secret military court in Pakistan. India has strongly protested the decision and warned Pakistan that carrying out the death sentence will amount to "pre-mediated murder".
New Delhi has also said that contrary to Islamabad’s claims about his espionage activities, Jadhav was a traveller doing business in Iran and his presence in Pakistan hasn’t been explained "adequately" by authorities there.
AIR’s External Services Division runs seven broadcasts every day targeted at listeners in Pakistan and Afghanistan. These broadcasts are in six languages — Pashto, Balochi, Punjabi, Urdu, Sindhi and Saraiki. AIR officials said Sindh, Punjab and Baloch areas of Pakistan had "significantly high number of listeners".
AIR bulletins on Jadhav are part of India’s diplomatic offensive. Airing of Jadhavrelated content started from Monday. The argument in these bulletins is made sharply and forcefully.
"A musafir (traveller) is one who has Allah’s sympathy, and Allah’s power guides him throughout his journeys. Killing a musafir or even thinking of harming him is a sin in Islam," says one of the bulletins that was broadcast on Tuesday.
"We have been trying to emphasise in our bulletins that the sentence defies all tenets of Islam," AIR’s directorgeneral Fayyaz Sheheryar told ET. These bulletins have also urged the people of Pakistan to speak up against this "anti- Islamic" act of their state.
