A group of Indian-Americans and Balochs held a protest outside Pakistan embassy in Washington DC over the humiliation of death row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav’s mother and wife in Islamabad.
Holding banners and placards with #ChappalChorPakistan printed on them, the group demanded that the US put economic sanctions on the nation and also ‘donated’ several pairs of used shoes to the embassy.
“They (Pakistan) are shameless because they stole the chappal (sandal) of a woman (Jadhav’s wife) who was in distress. I hope they use these too,” said one of the protesters as he pointed towards a row of used shoes that were lined up outside the embassy.
“The way they (Jadhav’s mother and wife) have been treated is unacceptable to us,” added the protester.
India too had lambasted Pakistan for the manner in which the meeting between Jadhav and his wife, Chetankul and mother, Avanti were conducted on December 25, saying Islamabad “violated the letter and spirit of our understandings” over the meeting.
Ahead of the meeting, the two women were made to remove their mangalsutra, bangles and bindi and were not allowed to converse in their mother tongue Marathi.
Jadhav’s wife’s shoes were taken away and not returned. Pakistan later sent the shoes for forensic report to determine the nature of the suspected presence of a foreign object.
Meanwhile, the group of protesters also demanded that the US cutback all aid to Pakistan and put sanctions on it.
Balochs are the people of Balochistan, one of the four provinces of Pakistan that is fighting for independence. The province is divided into four princely states, which were forcefully acceded to Pakistan.