Sherry Rehman calls for bringing Kulbhushan's matter to parliament

KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Senator Sherry Rehman on Thursday said Pakistan’s lawyer presented weak arguments while proceeding Indian spy Kulbhushan Jhadav’s case in International Court of Justice (ICJ), ARY News reported.

Talking to media, she expressed reservations over the government’s behavior and said Kulbhushan’s matter was deliberately not raised at international level.

The senator questioned, “Why did we not raise Kulbhushan’s issue in the United Nations? Why did our lawyer’s arguments ended in 50 minutes only, while he had the time of 90 minutes?”

She said the case from Pakistan’s side was not well prepared. Until May 10 no ad hoc judge was appointed for the case, she said.

“The federal government should have taken prompt action on receiving India’s letter regarding approaching ICJ,” she said.

The PPP leader said we lost a case which could have been easily won. The incompetence and negligence of hiring authorities were to be blamed, she added.

She said the government could consult the PPP and share details in this regard, if it did not know what to do.

Read More: ICJ orders Pakistan temporarily not to execute spy Kulbhushan Jadhav

‘Senate speaker should summon parliamentary session to discuss National Security’

Sherry Rehman said the government did not give briefing in Pakistan regarding the Indian spy.

“We have a strong case but there was no briefing given in Pakistan unlike in India,” she wondered.

She also requested the Senate speaker to summon a parliamentary session to discuss National Security immediately. She said the parliament was so far not taken into confidence.

The senator said it had been more than three years since the incumbent government was in power and no foreign minister was yet appointed.

THE CASE BACKGROUND

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 dollars 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’.

The spy was tried through Field General Court Martial (FGCM) under the Pakistan Army Act (PAA) and awarded the death sentence. On April 10, Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa confirmed his death sentence awarded by FGCM.

Jhadav confessed before a Magistrate and the Court that he was tasked by Indian spy agency Research and Analysis Wing (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.

However, the ICJ has stayed execution of the spy pronouncing that Pakistan should not execute Jadhav until final decision of the court.

“Pakistan shall take all measures at its disposal to ensure that Mr Jadhav is not executed pending the final decision in these proceedings,” said the court’s president Ronny Abraham.

He also ordered Pakistan to inform the tribunal that it has implemented the decision.