Islamabad (Staff Report/Agencies): Pakistan has decided to give consular access to Indian spy Kulbushan Jadhav third time.
On Thursday, Pakistan granted second consular access to convicted Kulbhushan Jadhav.
“Two consular officers of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad were provided unimpeded and uninterrupted consular access to Commander Jadhav at 1500 hours,” read a statement issued by the Foreign Office.
The first consular access under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, 1963 was provided by Pakistan on Sept 2, 2019. The mother and wife of Jadhav were also allowed to meet him on Dec 25, 2017.
Pakistan’s move can be viewed as a peace missive to India following its increasing isolation in the international community.
On July 17, 2019, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) had rejected remedies sought by India, including annulment of the military court’s decision convicting Jadhav, his release and safe passage to India.
Announcing the verdict, Judge Abdulqavi Ahmed Yousaf had asked Pakistan to review the death sentence for Jadhav.
The tribunal in The Hague had ordered an “effective review and reconsideration of the conviction and sentence of Jadhav”. “A continued stay of execution constitutes an indispensable condition for the effective review and reconsideration of the conviction and sentence of Mr Jadhav,” it had ruled.
The court, while finding Jadhav guilty of committing terrorist activities inside Pakistan, had ordered that the Indian spy could not be handed over to India; he would remain in Pakistan’s custody.