The family of an Indian ex-navy officer facing a death sentence for spying in Pakistan has been allowed to visit him. The mother and wife of Kulbhushan Jadhav met him in Islamabad on Monday, amid arguments between the two countries over his conviction.

Pakistan said he was arrested in Balochistan in 2016 and it has produced videos that it says are confessions.

India has argued that he was kidnapped by Pakistan while he was in Iran and has been tried on "concocted charges".

Kulbhushan Jadhav's mother, Avanti, and his wife, Chetankul, were accompanied by Indian diplomats during the visit, which lasted 40 minutes.

The family met him at the Pakistani foreign ministry in Islamabad and were scheduled to take a flight back to Delhi in the evening. Sources in Islamabad says the women were brought to the Pakistani foreign office building amid tight security.

"Both women looked very serious. They didn't say anything despite journalists shouting questions at them. They quietly walked towards the building,"source adds.

Pakistani foreign office spokesman Mohammad Faisal said that the meeting with Jadhav, whom he called a "terrorist" and a "saboteur", was allowed on "humanitarian grounds".

He said that Kulbushan Jadhav had admitted playing a role in assassinations in Pakistan and supporting attacks on military installations.