”Our request for consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav has been pending with Pakistan for long… we expect Pakistan to now act on it without any further delay,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said at a media briefing here.
A placard depicting Kulbhushan Jadhav is pictured in the neighborhood where he grew up in Mumbai on July 17, 2019. (Indranil MUKHERJEE / AFP)
Asserting that the verdict of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case was binding on Pakistan, India on Thursday said it was waiting for Islamabad to immediately grant consular access to the former Indian Navy officer.
”Our request for consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav has been pending with Pakistan for long… we expect Pakistan to now act on it without any further delay,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said at a media briefing here.
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He wondered how Pakistan was claiming that it had won the legal battle at the ICJ in the case. ”Frankly, it seems to me they (Pakistan) are reading from a different verdict. The main verdict is in 42 pages. If there is no patience to go through 42 pages, they should go through the 7-page press release in which every point is in India’s favour,” he added.
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The spokesperson said the ICJ has categorically ruled that its verdict was final, binding and without appeal. Pakistan was now under obligation to inform Jadhav about the grounds of his arrest.
He said Pakistan was also under an obligation to provide effective review and reconsideration of the conviction and sentence of Jadhav as per the ruling of the ICJ. This should include an effective legislation.
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