Heena Sharma Blog

Pakistan has ordered consular access for Kulbhushan Jadhav , a former Indian naval commander condemned to death for spying, following a decision this week by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The United Nations court ruled on Wednesday in the Hague that Pakistan should undertake an “effective review” of the case, adding that a “continued stay of execution” was needed for that to happen. “ As a responsible state, Pakistan will grant consular access to Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav according to Pakistani laws for which modalities are being worked out,” the government said in a statement late on Thursday. Jadhav was arrested in March 2016 in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Baluchistan, the site of a long-running conflict between security forces and separatists. He was convicted of planning espionage and sabotage and sentenced to death. India says Jadhav is innocent and had asked the U.N. court to intervene, saying his trial had been unfair and Pakistan had denied hi...

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is expected to pronounce its judgment on Wednesday in Kulbhushan Jadhav 's case. Jadhav, a 49-year-old former Naval officer, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on April 11, 2017, on charges of espionage and terrorism. Following this, India had approached the ICJ against Pakistan "for egregious violations of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, 1963" in the matter. India has contended that it had not been informed of Jadhav's detention until long after his arrest and that Pakistan had failed to inform the accused of his rights. India further alleged that in violation of the Vienna Convention the authorities of Pakistan had denied India its right of consular access to Jadhav, despite repeated requests. Subsequently, on May 18, 2017, a 10-member bench of the ICJ restrained Pakistan from executing Jadhav till the adjudication of the case. Read More Article Source -> Business Standard ...