Grant full consular access to Jadhav at earliest: India to Pakistan
India on Thursday asked Pakistan to grant full consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav at the earliest in “full compliance and conformity” with last week’s verdict in his case by the International Court of Justice.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India is in touch with the Pakistani authorities on the issue. Kulbhushan Jadhav has been held in a Pakistani jail since 2016 on the charges of “espionage and terrorism”.
Speaking at a press conference, MEA spokesperson Kumar said, “We expect that full consular access should be granted to Shri Kulbhushan Jadhav at the earliest in full compliance with the ICJ’s judgment.”
The Hague-based ICJ last week ordered Pakistan to undertake an “effective review and reconsideration” of the conviction and sentence of Jadhav and asked it to grant consular access to him without further delay.
“We are in touch with Pak authorities on the same through diplomatic channels and we will let you know when there is an update,” Raveesh Kumar added.
In its 42-page order, the court, while rejecting Pakistan’s objection to admissibility of the Indian application in the case, held that “a continued stay of execution constitutes an indispensable condition for the effective review” of the sentence of Jadhav.
“Pursuant to the decision of the ICJ, Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav has been informed of his rights under Article 36, Paragraph 1(b) of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. As a responsible state, Pakistan will grant consular access to Commander Kulbushan Jadhav according to Pakistani laws, for which modalities are being worked out,” said Pakistan’s Foreign Office in an official statement a day after the ICJ held Pakistan of violating the Vienna Convention.