An Indian diplomat – deputy high commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia – today (Monday, Sep 2) met the former naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhavlodged in Pakistan’s custody after being sentenced to death on charges of spying, said media reports.

This came after an Indian diplomat was allowed Consular access to Jadhav for the first time by Pakistan, weeks after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Islamabad to give India consular access to him and also review his death sentence.

It is, however, not yet clear if the Consular access provided on Monday was unhindered as demanded by India.

Yesterday, Pakistan’s foreign office had tweeted that India will be given consular access to him on Monday “in line with Vienna Convention on Consular relations, ICJ judgement & the laws of Pakistan”.

India accepted the offer Monday morning after “studying” it. “We hope that Pakistan will ensure right atmosphere so that the meeting is free, fair, meaningful and effective in keeping with the letter and spirit of the ICJ orders,” Ministry of External Affairs sources told today.

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India did not want the meeting to become a “sham” and a “propaganda exercise”, like the one that took place in December 2017, when Jadhav’s mother and wife went to see him, sources said.

The meeting was underway, the Press Trust of India said, quoting Pakistani media.

Kulbhushan Jadhav, 49, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court in April 2017. India called the closed trial farcical and took Pakistan to the ICJ a month after the sentencing.

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India has always disputed Pakistan’s claims on Jadhav’s occupational status and maintained that he retired from the Navy and was pursuing his own business when he was abducted from Iran and brought to Pakistan illegallyand falsely accused of espionage and terrorism.

In a 15-1 verdict in favour of India, the UN court said the death sentence should remain suspended until Pakistan effectively reviewed and reconsidered the conviction. It also agreed with India’s allegation that Pakistan had not informed Jadhav about his rights and that “Pakistan deprived India of the right to communicate with and have access to Jadhav, to visit him in detention and to arrange for his legal representation.”

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The Pakistan Foreign Office had even last month talked of providing India consular access to Jadhav,but no meeting could take place as New Delhi and Islamabad disagreed on the terms.Pakistan wanted one of its officials to be present when Mr Jadhav met Indian officials.

India rejected the idea and asserted that consular access must be “unimpeded” and should be in the light of the judgment by the International Court of Justice.

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In a major turn of event in the US-Iran tangle, the US administration has challenged the UN’s top court’s jurisdiction to rule on Iran’s demand for the suspension of recently re-imposed nuclear-related sanctions on the country.

Responding to Iran’s allegations of US breaching 1955 treaty with its decision to re-impose sanctions after withdrawal from the multilateral nuclear agreement, US State department lawyer Jennifer Newstead argued that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague “lacks prima facie jurisdiction to hear Iran’s claims.”

“This case is entirely about an attempt to compel the US by order of this court to resume” the 2015 nuclear deal, Newstead said.

Earlier on Monday, Iran argued that US President Donald Trump breached a 1955 treaty with his decision to re-impose sanctions after withdrawing from the landmark 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.  Iran’s lawyers said the sanctions were threatening the welfare of its citizens and disrupting tens of billions of dollars worth of business deals.

Iran’s lead representative in the case, Mohsen Mohebi, branded the sanctions “naked economic aggression” saying, “The United States is publicly propagating a policy intended to damage as severely as possible Iran’s economy and Iranian nationals and companies.”

He vowed that “Iran will put up the strongest resistance to the US economic strangulation by all peaceful means.”

Newstead said the US has the right to protect its national security and other interests. She said that the treaty “cannot, therefore, provide a basis for this court’s jurisdiction” in the case. She held Iran to blame for its economic woes saying, they have “deep roots in the Iranian government’s mismanagement of its own economy and repression of its own population.”

On Monday US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, said in a statement that “Iran’s filing with the ICJ is an attempt to interfere with the sovereign rights of the United States to take lawful actions, including re-imposition of sanctions, which are necessary to protect our national security. The proceedings instituted by Iran are a misuse of the Court.”

Sanctions on Iran were lifted in January 2016 under the 2015 multilateral nuclear accord generally known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and signed by five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany P5+1. In return, Iran committed not to develop nuclear weapons.

However, Trump, while campaigning for 2016 Presidential elections and also after assuming office reiterated that the deal did not do enough to curb the alleged threat from Iran. He pulled the US out of the accord in May this year and began re-imposing sanctions earlier this month. Second phase of sanctions will be imposed in November.

Iran will respond to US arguments on Wednesday. The ICJ is expected to take several weeks to decide whether to grant Tehran’s request. A final decision could take years. Its judgments are binding, final and without appeal, however, it has no power to enforce its decisions.

US and Iran do not have diplomatic relations. The US embassy building in Tehran was stormed by revolutionary students post 1979 Islamic revolution making diplomats hostages for 444 days. At present the US embassy building has been converted into a museum generally known as “Den of Spies”.

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Pakistan in its reply filed to International Court of Justice dismissed India’s stance on former Indian navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav, sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of spying.

Pakistan said that Jadhav was not an ordinary person as he had entered the country with the intent of spying and carrying out sabotage activities, reported Pakistani daily The Dawn.

The reply reportedly also states that Jadhav, who was a serving officer of the Indian Navy, does not fall under the purview of the Vienna Convention.  It countered India’s plea at ICJ seeking consular access to Jadhav, saying the provision of such an access under the Vienna Convention is only for legitimate visitors and not for spies.

India has sought consular access to Jadhav repeatedly but Pakistan has turned down its requests, citing bilateral accord that did not permit such an access to spies.

Pakistan said that since India did not deny Jadhav was travelling with an assumed Muslim name, they have no case to plead.

Pakistan stuck to its version that Jadhav was on active duty as a spy and sent by India on a ‘special mission’. “Lack of explanation on how a serving naval commander was operating under secondment to Indian spy agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) was travelling under an assumed name leads to only one conclusion that India wanted consular access to the information he had gathered,” the Pakistani reply stated.

Pakistan also stretched its contention to drag in the Kashmir issue. Quoting sources, Pakistan Today said Pakistan also highlighted constant violations of human rights committed by India in occupied-Kashmir, including the use of pellet guns. Jadhav was arrested from Balochistan in March 2016.

The international court will now decide whether to take the case forward for hearing or ask the parties (Pakistan and India) to submit more documents. Former chief justice of Pakistan Tassaduq Hussain Jillani will also serve as an ad-hoc judge in the bench, said Pakistan Today.

On Dec 8, Pakistan granted permission to the mother and wife of the Indian convicted spy to meet him on Dec 25.

India had moved the ICJ against the death sentence to Jadhav and sought consular access to him. On May 18, the ICJ ordered Pakistan to halt the execution of Jadhav until a final decision was made in the proceedings.

India submitted irs arguments in the case to ICJ on September 13 and Pakistan was directed to file its reply on Dec 13. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the meeting will boost Jadhav’s morale.

In a surprising move, Pakistan said on Friday that it would arrange a meeting between detained Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav and his wife on “humanitarian grounds”.

“The government of Pakistan has decided to arrange a meeting of Kulbhudhan Jhadav with his wife, in Pakistan, purely on humanitarian grounds. A verbal note to this effect has been sent to the Indian High Commission in Islamabad,” stated an official handout issued by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the meeting will boost Jadhav’s morale.

“There are procedures. The meeting of Kulbhushan’s wife with him will increase his moral. We are trying our best to bring Kulbhushan Jadhav back to India,” Sitharaman told the media on Saturday.

The decision is believed to be taken after the two countries discussed the issue last month in a meeting between foreign minister Sushma Swaraj and the newly appointed Pakistani high commissioner to India, Sohail Mahmood.

This is the first time that Jadhav may be allowed to meet his family. Pakistan had earlier refused to grant visa to Jadhav’s parents.

A Pakistani military court, in April this year, sentenced Jadhav to death on charges of spying and espionage. According to Pakistan, Jadhav is a RAW operative was arrested on March 3, 2016 in Balochistan’s Mashkhel area. India has denied all such claims and has maintained that he is a retired Indian Navy official and was abducted from Iran.

India contested Jadhav’s death sentence at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and was successful in getting a stay on the death sentence. The International court is expected to resume hearing in the case in January. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Pakistan has requested the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for an early hearing in the case of Indian citizen Kulbhushan Jadhav, who has been awarded the death sentence by a military court, a Pakistani media report said on Tuesday.

According to a report in the Express Tribune, the Pakistan Foreign Office has dispatched a letter to the ICJ’s registrar, expressing Pakistan’s desire for a quick hearing, preferably over the next few weeks.

The paper quoted a source saying the request was made in view of the upcoming elections for ICJ judges, scheduled to be held in November.

“ICJ might resume the hearing of the case in October. The government (however) wants the hearing (to be held in the) next six weeks,” a senior law ministry official was quoted in the report.

Attorney-General Ashtar Ausaf Ali would most probably attend the ICJ proceedings in future. The Pakistan government is yet to decide on replacing Khawar Qureishi. The report comes amid rising anger at the Nawaz Sharif government for mishandling the case in the ICJ.

In a breather for India, the ICJ on May 18 had asked Pakistan to ensure that Indian citizen Kulbhushan Jadhav is not hanged until further orders.

India had moved the ICJ against the punishment handed down to Jadhav by a Pakistani military court. The court has convicted him for conducting subversive activities for the Indian government.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The International Court of Justice on Thursday stayed the death sentence of Jadhav, who has been behind bars since last year.

Sartaj Aziz, the Pakistan prime minister’s foreign affairs adviser, said on Saturday that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has only stayed Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav’s execution but not given any order to give consular access to him.

“Wrong to say Pakistan lost at ICJ, court stayed execution, didn’t order on consular access to Jadhav,” Aziz said while addressing the media in Islamabad.

He said Pakistan did not get much time for the ICJ trial, but added it will strengthen its legal team for the next time.

In a remarkable victory for India, the International Court on Thursday stayed the death sentence of Jadhav, who have been behind bars in Pakistan for alleged espionage. The United Nation’s judicial body ordered Islamabad to put off the sentence until the case is heard in the court.

Jadhav, a former Indian Navy official, was sentenced to death by a military court martial last month. India has argued since that the sentence is in violation of the Vienna convention and accused Pakistan of not giving consular access to Jadhav to apprise him of his rights.

In its verdict, the ICJ said there is the possibility of “irrevocable prejudice” to the rights of Jadhav and asked Pakistan to give India full consular access to the prisoner. India had expressed its fear that Jadhav could be executed even while the ICJ hearing was going on.

“Without prejudging the result, the ICJ considers that the risk or irreparable prejudice, the mere fact that Jadhav is under such a sentence and might be executed, is sufficient to demonstrate such a risk. There is considerable uncertainty as to when decision on any appeal is rendered or when Jadhav will be executed,” said Ronny Abraham, ICJ president judge.

It also said that Pakistan cannot execute Jadhav until it makes a final decision on the subject and added that it has jurisdiction superceding a 2008 agreement between India and Pakistan.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Like Pakistan cricketers after losing to India, the lawyers, who represented Pakistan at the ICJ, have become objects of ridicule.

With the International Court of Justice (ICJ) saying it had jurisdiction in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case under the Vienna Convention, the Pakistan government has begun a frantic search for new lawyers after its counsels suffered the defeat in the ICJ order on Thursday.

“Islamabad will appoint a new team of lawyers to defend Pakistan’s position vigorously at the ICJ,” said Sartaj Aziz, the foreign affairs advisor to Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif, according to reports in India Today.

The ICJ ordered on Thursday that Pakistan should not hang Jadhav until the court hears the matter in full and that Islamabad must have to inform the court of the steps it has taken to ensure the Indian national is not executed.

“Pakistan’s security is so important and we have to maintain our fundamental sovereign right,” said Aziz in response to the world court’s order.

Earlier, ICJ rejected the Pakistan’s main argument that the world court has no jurisdiction on the Jadhav case. ICJ after issuing the order to Pakistan will now seek comprehensive submissions from both New Delhi and Islamabad on their respective cases.  The date for the next hearing have not yet been announced and is expected to take further time.

But Pakistan’s counsel in the ICJ came in for a lot of flak from senior lawyers in Pakistan, including former attorney general Irfan Qadir. “The lawyers handling these matters had no experience. The arguments had no weight. They should have been presented in a rational manner. We need a dedicated team for Pakistan, loyal to the country. Pakistan’s jurisprudence has been ruined because of this,” he told the Times of India.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]It asked Pakistan to inform the court of measures taken to implement the order staying the execution of Kulbhushan Jadhav.

The International Court of Justice on Thursday asked Pakistan to ensure that Indian citizen Kulbhushan Jadhav is not hanged until further orders and stayed his execution. The court asked Pakistan to give India consular access to Jadhav on Thursday, which in itself was a violation of the Vienna Convention, the court said.

ICJ President Ronny Abraham, who read out the judgement of the bench comprising 11 judges, had harsh words for Pakistan. The judge said Pakistan had violated Article 36 of the Vienna Convention by not giving consular access to Jadhav. He rejected Pakistan’s contention that the court had no jurisdiction on the Jadhav death sentence. “The court considers it has prime facia jurisdiction in the case,” he said.

The court provided India provisional rights to safeguard his life.  It asked Pakistan to inform the court of measures taken to implement this order.

The court observed that Pakistan has indicated that any execution of Jadhav would probably not take place before the month of August 2017. “This means that there is a risk that an execution could take place at any moment thereafter, before the Court has given its final decision in the case. The Court also notes that Pakistan has given no assurance that Jadhav will not be executed before the Court has rendered its final decision. In those circumstances, the Court is satisfied that there is urgency in the present case,” an ICJ press release on the case said.

The court was composed as follows: President Abraham of France; Judges Hisashi Owada of Japan, Antônio Augusto Cançado Trindade of Brazil, Xue Hanqin of China, Joan Donoghue of the US, Giorgio Gaja of Italy, Julia Sebutinde of Uganda, Dalveer Bhandari of India, Patrick Lipton Robinson of Jamaica, James Crawford of Australia, Kirill Gevorgian of Russia and Registrar Philippe Couvreur.

Judge Cançado Trindade appended a separate opinion to the Order of the Court while Judge Bhandari made a declaration to the Order of the Court, the press release said.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Before the court in The Hague, India had argued that Jadhav was tried for espionage and given the death sentence in Pakistan, violating the Vienna Convention. Pakistan claimed that Jadhav, a former Indian Navy officer, was working for the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) when he was arrested from Balochistan in March 2016.

Upon India’s moving the international forum, Abraham wrote to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to not execute Jadhav until the court heard the matter. The public hearing was held on May 15 at The Hague, Netherlands.

India moved the ICJ on May 8, charging Pakistan with “egregious violations of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations” in the matter of the detention and trial of Kulbhushan Jadhav. This was the first time in 18 years that India and Pakistan arrived at ICJ doorsteps.

Responding to Pakistani claims of Jadhav being a RAW agent, India said that he was a former Indian Navy officer-turned-businessman. Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran during a business trip and was then taken to Balochistan, New Delhi claimed.

Pakistan has consistently refused consular access to Jadhav, sought by India, on the grounds that he was tried for espionage and Islamabad was under no compulsion to entertain the Indian request.

India was represented at the ICJ by senior advocate Harish Salve while the Pakistan case was argued for by Khawar Qureshi.

The trial has been an emotional issue for social media in India and Pakistan. Both sides had seen vitriolic debates and jingoism in popular media over the case.

Pakistan had hanged another Indian, Sarabjit Singh, on May 2, 2013.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]This was the first time in 18 years that India and Pakistan arrived at ICJ doorsteps.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Thursday stayed the hanging of Kulbhushan Jadhav, the Indian who was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court. The court provided India provisional rights to safeguard his life.  The court also ruled that the case could be heard by it under the Vienna Convention.

Before the court in The Hague, India had argued that Jadhav was tried for espionage and given the death sentence in Pakistan, violating the Vienna Convention. Pakistan claimed that Jadhav, a former Indian Navy officer, was working for the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) when he was arrested from Balochistan in March 2016.

Upon India’s moving the international forum, the ICJ president Ronny Abraham wrote to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to not execute Jadhav until the court heard the matter. The public hearing was held on May 15 at The Hague, Netherlands.

India moved the ICJ on May 8, charging Pakistan with “egregious violations of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations” in the matter of the detention and trial of Kulbhushan Jadhav. This was the first time in 18 years that India and Pakistan arrived at ICJ doorsteps.

Responding to Pakistani claims of Jadhav being a RAW agent, India said that he was a former Indian Navy officer-turned-businessman. Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran during a business trip and was then taken to Balochistan, New Delhi claimed.

Pakistan has consistently refused consular access to Jadhav, sought by India, on the grounds that he was tried for espionage and Islamabad was under no compulsion to entertain the Indian request.

India was represented at the ICJ by senior advocate Harish Salve while the Pakistan case was argued for by Khawar Qureshi.

The trial has been an emotional issue for social media in India and Pakistan. Both sides had seen vitriolic debates and jingoism in popular media over the case.

Pakistan had hanged another Indian, Sarabjit Singh, on May 2, 2013.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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