FM Qureshi calls ICJ verdict on Kulbhushan Jadhav case ‘a victory for Pakistan’

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Wednesday called the International Court of Justice's verdict on Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav, ‘a victory for Pakistan’.

The ICJ found that India’s submission pertaining to the acquittal and release of Kulbhushan Jadhav could not be upheld. According to the ICJ, the conviction and sentence of Kulbhushan Jadhav were not to be regarded as a violation of Article 36 of the Vienna Convention.

The foreign minister tweeted that Jadhav will remain in Pakistan, and will be treated in accordance with the Pakistani laws.

ICJ rejected Indian plea: FO

The foreign office said that the ICJ didn't approve Indian requests to release from the Pakistani custody, adding that Pakistan will proceed with the case as according to the law. 

The FO statement reiterated that Commander Jadhav is a serving Indian Navy officer who entered Pakistan with fake identity documents disguising him as Hussain Mubarak Patel. 

It said that the passport was issued by India, and the commander was involved in espionage - which he admitted before a judicial magistrate, adding that a number of Pakistanis lost their lives due to Jadhav's terror activities conducted on the directives of the Indian state. 

Commander Jadhav — an Indian Navy officer working for Indian covert agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) — was arrested on March 3, 2016, from Balochistan after he entered into Pakistan from Iran.

Jadhav was tried in a military court which sentenced him to death for espionage and subversive activities.

In a reaction to the move, Pakistan’s relations with neighbouring India tensed, and New Delhi approached the ICJ to hear the case. On May 18, 2017, the ICJ ordered Pakistan to halt the execution of Jadhav until a final decision was made in the proceedings.