Pakistan remains committed to fully implementing the International Court of Justice (ICJ)’s judgment of 17 July 2019
DLP REPORT
ISLAMABAD
Pakistan on Thursday provided second consular access to convicted Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav, saying that New Delhi had made a request for it.
“Two consular officers of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad were provided unimpeded and uninterrupted consular access to Commander Jadhav at 1500 hours,” Aisha Farooqui, Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson, said.
Pakistan had provided first consular access to Jadhav under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (VCCR) 1963 on 2 September 2019. His mother and wife were also allowed to meet him on 25 December 2017.
“Pakistan remains committed to fully implementing the International Court of Justice (ICJ)’s judgment of 17 July 2019. It is hoped that India will cooperate with the Pakistan court in giving full effect to the said judgment,” the FO spokesperson said.
Addressing a press briefing in the morning, Farooqui reiterated Islamabad’s offer to file an appeal in the Islamabad High Court against Jadhav’s sentence and conviction. “The time limit for filing a review petition is 60 days. We hope that India will cooperate in this regard,” she said.
The time period for filing review petition will expire on July 19. In an attempt to meet International Court of Justice (ICJ)’s ruling of July 17, 2019, Pakistan had promulgated an ordinance on May 20 to pave the way for Jadhav to file a review petition against his sentence.
According to FO officials, Jadhav was invited on June 17 to file a review petition in the Islamabad HC for the review and reconsideration of his conviction and sentence.
But Jadhav, officials said, had refused to file a petition and instead preferred to follow up on his pending mercy petition.
Earlier on Thursday, a separate statement was issued by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, saying that Jadhav himself had “confessed to involvement in terrorist activities in Pakistan”.
“We accepted the decision of the ICJ, but India’s attitude has always been negative in this regard and they have not shown cooperation,” Qureshi said. “However, our thinking is positive and we have presented all the facts to the world. We are proceeding forward within the parameters of the law,” the FM added.
According to Pakistan, Jadhav, 49, was arrested on March 3, 2016, from Baluchistan province. Delhi, however, said he was a retired Indian Navy officer who was abducted from Iran. His arrest was made public by Pakistan’s military weeks after his capture by airing his confessional statement on TV channels. A military court, which had tried Jadhav on charges of espionage, sentenced him to death in April 2017. His appeal against the conviction was rejected by the military appellate court.
India had approached the ICJ against the Pakistani military tribunal’s decision to sentence Jadhav to death, and a stay was granted on his execution.
Jadhav’s case took a decisive turn when the ICJ ruled on India’s objection on last year, finding that he has a right to consular access and requested Pakistan to reconsider his sentence.
