Pakistan to provide Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav consular access on Monday: FO
'Consular access for Indian spy Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav … is being provided on Monday 2 September 2019,' FO spokesperson said
September 01, 2019
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan would provide detained Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav consular access on Monday in accordance with local laws and international agreements, the Foreign Office said.
According to Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal, Jadhav "remains in Pakistan’s custody, for espionage, terrorism and sabotage."
On his Twitter account, Dr Faisal wrote: "Consular access for Indian spy Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav, a serving Indian naval officer and RAW operative, is being provided on Monday 2 September 2019, in line with Vienna Convention on Consular relations, ICJ judgement & the laws of Pakistan."
Earlier today, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi while speaking to media in the federal capital said Pakistan was obligated to the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) decisions and would, accordingly, provide consular access to Jadhav.
ICJ dismisses India's plea
On July 17, the ICJ had dismissed New Delhi's plea for Jadhav’s acquittal and release, concluding that India's submission could not be upheld. It had said the Indian spy's conviction and sentence were not to be regarded as a violation of Article 36 of the Vienna Convention.
The ICJ had allowed India consular access to Jadhav and called on Islamabad Pakistan to review and reconsider his conviction and sentence.
Further, the verdict had called on Pakistan to provide by the means of its own choosing an effective review and reconsideration of Jadhav's conviction and sentence.
However, on August 3, 2019, India had rejected Pakistan's offer of consular access to Jadhav and asked for "unimpeded" access to him.
Pakistan had made an official offer to grant consular access to the Indian spy, with FO spokesperson Dr Faisal saying: “As a responsible state, Pakistan will grant consular access to Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav according to Pakistani laws for which modalities are being worked out."
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. He 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 had tensed and New Delhi had approached the ICJ to hear the case. On May 18, 2017, the ICJ had ordered Pakistan to halt the execution of Jadhav until a final decision was made in the proceedings.
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