Pakistan blocks Kulbhushan Jadhav's review plea; blatantly lies to circumvent ICJ rebuke

In a massive development in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case, Pakistan on Wednesday has blocked the Indian national's review petition. Pakistan’s Additional Attorney General and DG South Asia and Saarc Zahid Hafiz Chaudry addressed an 'important presser' on Kulbhushan Jadhav’s matter and unbelievably claimed that he has refused to file a review petition. The claim by Pakistan comes as an utter sham as the ICJ had specifically told it to review and reconsider its sham trial.

As per Pakistan, on June 17, 2020, "Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav was invited to file a petition for review and reconsideration of his sentence and conviction. Exercising his legal right he refused to file a petition for review and reconsideration of his sentence and conviction. He instead preferred to follow up on his pending mercy petition. Pakistan has offered second consular access to him."

India is in contact with Pakistan through diplomatic channels on implementation of International Court of Justice (ICJ) decision in Kulbhushan Jadhav case, ANI had reported in May. "Last year the ICJ gave a decision in favour of India. We are in touch with Pakistan through diplomatic channels on implementation of ICJ decision," the news agency quoted its sources as saying. This was in reference to the ICJ putting a hold on Pakistan's military court's death sentence to Kulbhushan who was kidnapped from the Chabahar area in Iran where he was working as a privateer and accused of being a spy for India.

On September 2 last year, India's Deputy High Commissioner to Pakistan Gaurav Ahluwalia met Jadhav in Islamabad after Islamabad had granted consular access to the former naval officer.

ICJ upholds India's claim

In July, the International Court of Justice, by a vote of 15-1, had upheld India's claim that Pakistan has committed an egregious violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations on several counts. The world court had ordered Islamabad to carry out an effective "review and reconsideration" of his conviction.

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Following his abduction, Jadhav was hawked by Pakistan in March 2016, as an Indian spy. Pakistan's ISI has put out numerous videos of Jadhav 'accepting' charges against him in videos that are clearly doctored and show signs of Jadhav being under duress. After he was convicted and sentenced to death following a sham FCGM trial, his mother and wife were allowed to travel to Pakistan and briefly confer with him, with Pakistan's agenda of tapping the conversation, and disrespectful ill-treatment to Jadhav's kin later coming to light. India has demanded Jadhav's repatriation.

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(With agency inputs)