NEW DELHI: August 21: India has requested Pakistan to permit an Indian lawyer to represent Kulbhushan Jadhav in the Pakistani court. Anurag Srivastava, the official Spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, during an online media briefing on Friday signposted the Indian Government’s willingness to move forward with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) judgement asking Pakistan to proceed with the legal process.
Srivastava added, “For a free and fair trial in keeping with the letter and spirit of ICJ judgment, we’ve asked for Jadhav to be represented by an Indian lawyer.” However, Pakistan has got to first address the core issues – giving copies of relevant documents of the case and providing unimpeded consular access to Jadhav”.
Jadhav was arrested in 2016, in Balochistan, Pakistan, accusing him of organising and funding attacks in Pakistan. He was later convicted for espionage and sentenced to death by a Pakistan military court. An appeal for his clemency is pending before Pakistan’s army chief.
Earlier this month, the Islamabad high court ordered the government to allow the Indian Government to appoint a lawyer to represent Jadhav in his appeal before the court which was also followed by the passage of a bill in Parliament.
The next hearing at the Islamabad high court is scheduled for September 3.
(Venkatesh Iyer)