NEW DELHI: The Ministry of External Affairs, Wednesday, said it hoped Pakistan would respect the verdict of the International Court of Justice and allow consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav held in a Pakistan jail since 2016. MEA spokesman Raveesh Kumar said, the “landmark judgment” validated India’s position on the matter “fully” and asked Pakistan to implement the directive of the ICJ immediately.
Former High Commissioner to Pakistan T C A Raghavan said, “The judgment is a vindication of India’s position that the so-called trial was fundamentally flawed since Pakistan had acted in clear violation of the Vienna Convention. The absence of consular access, which India had pressed for repeatedly, violated well-established procedures and rights.”
Referring to Pakistan’s allegations of Jadhav being involved in espionage and in sabotaging the Pakistan-Chhina economic corridor, Pinak R Chakravarty, former MEA Secretary said, “The judgment vindicates our stand that there was mistrial in the Kubhushan Jadhav case … Their claims of espionage, of complicity in Balochistan are just that – claims. There was never any proof.”
Shantanu Mukharji, former National Security Advisor to Mauritius said, “This is definitely a diplomatic triumph for India and for the legal team led by Harish Salve, especially as this was a near-unanimous 15-1 verdict in our favour.”
The case
Jadhav, a retired Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by the Pakistani court in 2017