Pakistan protests ICJ verdict on Kulbhushan Jadhav

Pakistan's foreign ministry has condemned today's (May 18) order the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as not being within their jurisdiction after they were ordered by a top UN court not to execute an Indian citizen convicted of spying (Read: The entire ICJ judgement)

"Pakistan has entered a revised declaration under Article 36 (2) of the Statute of ICJ (International Court of Justice) on 29th March, 2017. This is a much stronger declaration than the earlier one which was entered in 1960. Now this declaration Pakistan submitted after exhaustive discussions, among... after inter-agency consultations within the government," Pakistan's foreign ministry spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said.

"Many clauses have been added to the earlier declaration, including "excluding all matters related to the national security of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan", which, in the current case, totally excludes the jurisdiction of ICJ under Article 36 (2), in our view."

The ministry also said India was trying to divert the world's attention by presenting Kulbhushan Jadhav's case from a humanitarian angle.

The ICJ had temporarily stayed a Pakistan military court's order on Mr Jadhav's execution on the grounds that it needs time to hear an argument from India which approached it citing the Vienna Convention which guarantees diplomatic help to foreigners accused of capital crimes.

India's external affairs ministry said the ICJ order created a "legally binding international obligation" on Pakistan.

The Indian government and the opposition welcomed the verdict.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his satisfaction with the judgement. He also spoke to external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj to thank her, and appreciated the efforts of advocate Harish Salve who represented India before the ICJ.

The order has come as a great relief to Kulbhushan Jadhav's family and the people of India, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj wrote on Twitter.

In a series of tweets, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj thanked the lawyers who argued India's case and her team from the ministry for their efforts.

Home minister Rajnath Singh said the ruling gave the people of India a "deep sense of satisfaction and relief".

Congress leaders Kapil Sibal and Manish Tiwari also welcomed the decision.

Defence minister Arun Jaitley hailed the order as a "great vindication" of India's stand.
 

Dalbir Kaur, sister of Sarabjit Singh, the Indian prisoner who died after he was killed by inmates in a Pakistan jail,  said the judgement was a "victory of crores of Indians and the truth."

India's Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi said the "decision would be binding for both states".

"The entire thing was a charade. Pakistan is completely blown by this decision.The decision is certainly binding for both states," the Attorney General said.

"Hope that the final decision also comes India's way and we can see Mr Jadhav come back home," Mukul Rohatgi added.

Kulbhushan Sudir Jadhav, a former officer in the Indian navy, was arrested in March 2016 in the Pakistani province of Baluchistan. A Pakistan military court sentenced him to death for alleged terrorism and subversive activities on April 10 this year.

India argues Jadhav was wrongly convicted for spying, while Pakistan says his legal process is ongoing and Pakistan has met its obligations under the Vienna Treaty on Consular Relations.

(WION with inputs from agencies)