Pakistan on Thursday seemed to be in a state of shock after the International Court of Justice dealt a huge blow to Islamabad and stayed the execution of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav.
While Pakistan Attorney General's Office termed the stay as "procedural process", the Foreign Office was found making conflicting statements after the verdict.
In a statement made after the verdict, Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said Pakistan does not accept the ICJ's jurisdiction "in matters related to the national security of the country," but in the next breath said that it "will present solid evidence against" Jadhav.
"We do not accept the jurisdiction of the ICJ in matters related to the national security of the country," he was quoted as saying by the Dunya TV. He said Pakistan has already informed the ICJ that it does not accept its jurisdiction.
However, he added that Pakistan "will present solid evidence against the Indian spy in the International Court."
Talking to the state-run Pakistan Television after the ruling was delivered, Zakaria said India has been "trying to hide its real face" by taking the case of Jadhav to ICJ.
"The real face of India will be exposed before the world," he said, adding that Jadhav has confessed his crimes of sabotage, terrorism and subversion activities “not once but twice”.
Jadhav, 46, was sentenced to death in March by a Pakistani military court and India approached the highest UN judicial body with the plea to stay his execution.
The Hague-based ICJ heard the two sides on Monday where Pakistan had challenged the jurisdiction of the court but in its decision accepted Indian pleas.
The court today instructed Pakistan to take all "necessary measures at its disposal" to ensure that Jadhav was not executed pending a final decision by it.
