Amid fresh tensions between India and Pakistan over the Pulwama terror attack, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Monday began public hearings in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case. Harish Salve will present India’s arguments before the top court today at The Hague and the same will be live streamed on the court’s website as well as on UN Web TV, the United Nations online television channel.
Amid fresh tensions between India and Pakistan over the Pulwama terror attack, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Monday began public hearings in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case. Harish Salve will present India’s arguments before the top court today at The Hague and the same will be live streamed on the court’s website as well as on UN Web TV, the United Nations online television channel.
Kulbhushan Jadhav was arrested in Balochistan in 2016 on charges of espionage and sentenced to death by a military court in Pakistan. While the Pakistan side claims that Jadhav is an Indian spy, New Delhi maintains that he is a retired Navy official who was kidnapped. The ICJ had ordered Pakistan to stay the execution till the adjudication of the case.
Jadhav’s sentencing had triggered a sharp reaction in India which accused Pakistan of violating provisions of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. Pakistan’s Attorney General Anwar Mansoor would lead the Pakistani delegation at the ICJ. The hearing will continue from February 18 to February 21, 2019.
The hearings come at a time when ties between India and Pakistan have hit a low following the Pulwama terror attack. The Indian side is expected to push its point that Pakistan has been breaking international rules and human rights laws. The verdict is likely to come up in months after the hearing
India will ask the top court to grant consular access to Jadhav. Both India and Pakistan have already submitted their detailed pleas and responses in the world court. Ahead of the hearing, a senior Pakistani official said that his country is committed to implement the decision of the ICJ in the Jadhav case. "We are fully prepared with our strongest evidence being the valid Indian passport recovered from Commander Jadhav with a Muslim name," the official said.
India has accused Islamabad of violating the Vienna Convention by failing to provide him with consular access, as well as breaking human rights laws. If Pakistan is unable to quash Jadhav’s death sentence, Islamabad should be found in violation of international law and treaties, and be told to “release the convicted Indian national forthwith”, India said.