Kulbhushan case: Pakistan will submit reply in International Court on 17th

ISLAMABAD: In response to pleadings filed by India, Pakistan will submit its reply in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Tuesday regarding the case of convicted Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav, ARY News reported.

The reply will be submitted by Director Foreign Affairs Dr Fareha Bugti, who has arrived at the Hague for the said purpose, diplomatic sources said.

Fareha had also submitted Pakistan’s counter-pleading in December 2017.

After submission of the second counter-memorial, the UN Court will fix the matter for hearing, which is likely to take place next year.

India had moved the ICJ in May last year after Jadhav, 48, was sentenced to death by a military court on charges of espionage.

A 10-member bench of the international court on May 18 had restrained Pakistan from executing Jadhav till adjudication of the case.

Read More: Indian website retracts story making shocking revelations about Kulbhushan

In its written plea, India had accused Pakistan of violation of the Vienna Convention by not giving consular access to his spy, arguing that the convention did not say that such access would not be available to an individual arrested on espionage charges.

In response, Pakistan through its counter-memorial on December 13 told the ICJ that the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations 1963 applied only to legitimate visitors and did not cover clandestine operations.

Who is Kulbhushan Jadhav?

Pakistani security agencies on March 24, 2016 apprehended an ‘on-duty RAW agent’ from Balochistan. The suspect was said to be an officer of the Indian navy working for the covert agency to destabilize Pakistan.

The operative had contacts with banned organizations and was working on plans to break Karachi and Balochistan away from Pakistan, and to sabotage the billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.

On March 25, a day after the arrest, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said the Indian man arrested from Balochistan has no connection with the government, however, admitted that Kulbhushan Yadav is a former officer of the Indian navy.

“He (Jadhav) acquired premature retirement from the Indian navy and since then the government has nothing to do with him,” said Vikas Swarup, a spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, requesting Pakistan to grant counsellor access to the ‘arrested Indian citizen’.

On April 10, COAS, Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa confirmed his death sentence awarded by Field General Court Martial (FGCM).

The spy was tried through (FGCM) under Pakistan Army Act (PAA) and awarded death sentence.

Jadhav was tried by FGCM under section 59 of Pakistan Army Act (PAA) 1952 and Section 3 of official Secret Act of 1923. FGCM found Kulbushan Sudhir Yadhav guilty of all the charges.

He confessed before a Magistrate and the Court that he was tasked by RAW to plan, coordinate and organize espionage / sabotage activities aiming to destabilize and wage war against Pakistan by impeding the efforts of Law Enforcement Agencies for restoring peace in Balochistan and Karachi.