After repeated denials, India finally gets consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav
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Pakistan has repeatedly denied India consular access to Jadhav on the ground that it was not applicable in cases related to spies
Kulbhushan Jadhav, a retired Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by the Pakistan military court on charges of “espionage and terrorism” after a closed trial in April 2017.
In its verdict on July 17, 2019 the International Court of Justice stopped his execution and said that Jadhav's trial by a military court in Pakistan was not accepted. The ICJ also gave consular access to Jadhav and upheld India's stand that Pakistan has violated the 1963 Vienna Convention.
India on September 2 accepted Pakistan's offer of consular access to Jadhav.
Earlier, Pakistan had offered consular access on August 1, but with conditions - that one Pakistani official would be present alongside. India responded to this and asked Pakistan to provide "unimpeded consular access", in an environment "free from the fear of intimidation and reprisal".
The consular access was granted to India after years of denial by Pakistan. India had made 16 such requests to Pakistan seeking consular access for Jadhav in the last 3 years. However, all such requests were denied by Pak.
India first sought consular access from Islamabad on March 29, 2016, within a month of his arrest.
On December 8, 2017, Pakistan had allowed Jadhav's wife and mother to meet him on December 25 at the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Islamabad for 45 minutes. During the meeting, Pakistan had said that it did not constitute "consular access". During the meeting, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mohammad Faisal had said that all decisions on consular access of Jadhav will be taken on the basis of law and interests of Pakistan.
Pakistan has repeatedly denied India consular access to Jadhav on the ground that it was not applicable in cases related to spies.
The verdict in Kulbhushan Jadhav's high-profile case of came nearly five months after a 15-member bench of ICJ led by Judge Yusuf had reserved its decision on February 21 after hearing oral submissions by India and Pakistan. The proceedings of the case took two years and two months to complete.
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