ICJ to conduct public hearings in Kulbhushan Jadhav case in February

HAGUE:  International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Wednesday announced to conduct public hearings in Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav’s case in February 2019, ARY News reported.

According to a statement released by ICJ, the court will hold public hearings in the
Jadhav case from Monday, February 18 to Thursday, February 21 at the Peace Palace in Hague.

India had moved the ICJ in May 2017 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.

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.

https://arynews.tv/en/live-kulbhushan-jadhav-case-pakistan-presents-viewpoint-icj/

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, then spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, requesting Pakistan to grant counselor 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 under Pakistan Army Act (PAA) and awarded death sentence.

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.