Pakistan’s parliament has approved a bill allowing Kulbhushan Jadhav, a former Indian Navy officer on death row for espionage charges, to appeal his conviction in the country’s high courts. In order to give effect to the International Court of Justice’s judgement, the bill seeks to expand the right of review and reconsideration (ICJ)
Kulbhushan Jadhav was allegedly apprehended in Balochistan in 2016, charged with espionage, and sentenced to death by a military court the following year, according to Pakistan. India has dismissed Pakistan’s accusations against Jadhav, claiming that he was abducted by Pakistani operatives from the Iranian port of Chabahar, where he was conducting business. In 2018, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) postponed Jadhav’s execution.
The bill, dubbed the “International Court of Justice (Review and Reconsideration) Act,” was passed by Pakistan’s lower house, the National Assembly, on Thursday after receiving approval from the 21-member standing committee. The act will apply to the entire country of Pakistan and will “enter into force immediately.” Prior to this, the Pakistani government introduced an ordinance in the National Assembly in response to the International Court of Justice’s decision in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case.
Earlier this year, a larger bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) resumed hearing of the case related to Jadhav and four other Indian prisoners who were under detention even after completion of their respective sentences.
The ministry of external affairs (MEA) inJanuary this year criticised Pakistan for not acting upon the ICJ’s 2019 judgment, which upheld India’s claim of the Pakistani regime committing the grievous violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations on several counts regarding Jadhav. India has also slammed Pakistan for failing to provide consular access to Jadhav.
