A day after ICJ verdict, Pakistan to grant consular access to Kulbushan Jadhav

A day after International Court of Justice (ICJ) held Pakistan of violating the Vienna Convention, Islamabad on Friday said modalities are being worked out to grant consular access to Kulbushan Jadhav.

"Pursuant to the decision of the ICJ, Commander Kulbushan Jadhav has been informed of his rights under Article 36, Paragraph 1(b) of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. As a responsible state, Pakistan will grant consular access to Commander Kulbushan Jadhav according to Pakistani laws, for which modalities are being worked out," said Pakistan's Foreign Office in an official statement.

ICJ on Wednesday asked Pakistan to grant Jadhav consular access holding Islamabad guilty of violating the Vienna Convention.

The court also asked Pakistan to review its order of death sentence awarded to Jadhav facing charges of espionage and conspiracy against Pakistan in what was seen as a major win for India.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday said his country will proceed as per the law in the Jadhav case.

"Pakistan shall proceed further as per law," he said while alleging that Jadhav is "guilty of crimes against the people of Pakistan".

The ICJ by a vote of 15-1 in the Jadhav case upheld India's claim that Pakistan is in egregious violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations on several counts, India's External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

"We also appreciate the direction of the ICJ that Pakistan should review and reconsider the conviction and sentence given to Jadhav by Pakistani military court," he added.

Government sources in New Delhi said Jadhav is innocent and that "he was kidnapped from Iran, where he was residing and carrying on business after retiring from the Indian Navy.

There is absolutely no clarification by Pakistan about the circumstances of his arrest".

Jadhav, 49, was purportedly "arrested" from Balochistan by Pakistani security forces on March 3, 2016, after he allegedly entered the country from Iran as claimed by Islamabad.

It was on March 25, 2016, that then Foreign Secretary of Pakistan Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry had informed the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad of Jadhav's "arrest."

Since then, Pakistan has not offered any explanation as to why Islamabad took over three weeks to inform the Indian High Commissioner about Jadhav's arrest.

Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on April 11, 2017.

Following this, India on May 8, 2017, approached the ICJ against Pakistan "for egregious violations of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, 1963" in the matter.

India alleged that Pakistan is in breach of Article 36(1) (b) of the Vienna Convention, which obliged Pakistan to inform India of the arrest of Jadhav "without delay".

-ANI