NEW DELHI: Pakistan on Thursday turned down India’s request for consular access to death row convict Kulbhushan Jadhav a second time, but New Delhi said it would remain in touch with Islamabad for full implementation of the verdict by the International Court of Justice.The ICJ had on July 17 ordered Pakistan to undertake an “effective” review of the conviction and sentence of Jadhav and asked it to grant consular access to him.
Asked about Pakistan giving consular access to Jadhav again, the country’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said, “There is no other meeting planned.”Hours later, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India was in touch with Islamabad through diplomatic channels.“The ICJ judgement was in our favour and we insist Pakistan implement it fully,” he said at a media briefing.
Charge d’ Affaires at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad Gaurav Ahluwalia had met Jadhav on September 2 after Pakistan granted consular access to Jadhav. However, he came away with the impression that Jadhav appeared to be under “extreme pressure” to support a false narrative to bolster Pakistan’s untenable claims in his case.
Sources said the government has received a detailed report from the Indian mission in Islamabad following the consular access. Jadhav, a former Navy officer, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism in April 2017 after he was abducted from Iran, where he was pursuing a business deal, post retirement.