India is engaged with the Pakistani authorities to secure the release of a citizen on death row, but Islamabad has refused to share any details on him so far, Indian officials said on Thursday.

A Pakistan military court had on Monday handed the death sentence to Kulbhushan Jadhav, 46, a retired Indian navy officer, convicting him of spying and fomenting unrest in the province of Balochistan.

‘We are in touch with Pakistan and we are pursuing this matter through our high commission right now,’ Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Gopal Baglay said, adding the issue was of national importance and Delhi will ‘do all it can’ to secure Jadhav's release.

India claims Jadhav was abducted by Pakistani security agencies last year from Iran where he ran a small business. It said it was repeatedly denied consular access to Jadhav and slammed the ‘farcical trial’, warning it would regard his execution as a case of ‘premeditated murder’.

‘We don't know where he (Jadhav) is now, or what his condition is. These facts cannot be ascertained. Nor has Pakistan shared these details with us,’ Baglay added.

‘We are engaged, we are pursuing various options after this so-called verdict has come about,’ Baglay said, declining to elaborate on what steps India would take.

Jadhav's sentencing has aggravated bilateral tensions that were triggered by an attack by Islamist militants which killed 19 soldiers in India-administered Kashmir in September. 

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