Pakistan grants Kulbhushan Jadhav second consular access
Kulbhushan Jadhav, the former Indian Navy officer in Pakistani custody was granted his second consular access on Thursday. Kulbhushan Jadhav is currently on a death-row in Pakistan after it accused him of spying for India. He was handed the sentence after a farcical trial in Pakistan. India has already asked for unimpeded access to Kulbhushan Jadhav.
Pakistan has been reluctant to actuively follow International Court of Justice's verdict that directed Pakistan grant full consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav. He was handed a death sentence in 2017. The ICJ verdict came in the year 2019.
Even when Kulbhushan Jadhav's mother met him in Pakistan, the officials there refused to allow the mother-son duo to speak in Marathi, their mothertongue. A conversation in their mothertongue is a natural step for any mother and son. But such a permission was cruelly denied.
Pakistan has claimed that Jadhav, a former Indian Navy officer, has refused to initiate a review petition of his sentence and conviction.
"We had pointed out how Pakistan's claim that Kulbushan Jadhav has refused to initiate a review petition, is a continuation of the farce playing out for the last 4 years. We are assessing our legal options and we remain committed to protecting the life of our Indian nationals," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava had said during a media briefing.
India had also dismissed Pakistan's claims that Jadhav has refused to file an appeal in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against his conviction and stated that the Indian national was coerced by Islamabad to forego his rights to seek implementation of the judgment of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
India sought unimpeded access to Jadhav to discuss his remedies under the Ordinance that allowed the High Court to review the sentence awarded by Pakistan's military court.
"Pakistan's claim that Jadhav, who is incarcerated in Pakistan's custody, has refused to initiate review petition is a continuation of the farce that has been in play for the last four years. Jadhav has been sentenced to execution through a farcical trial. He remains under custody of Pakistan's military. He has clearly been coerced to refuse to file a review in his case," Srivastava had said in the statement.
(With agency inputs)
