THE HAGUE, Feb 19: Pakistan will respond to India’s arguments in the case pertaining to Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) today (Tuesday).
ICJ resumed hearing the case on Monday and adjourned it after the Indian side presented its arguments.
The hearings at the UN court, formally known as the ICJ, revolve around the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav, an on-duty Indian navy officer working for the Indian covert agency Research & Analysis Wing (RAW). Jadhav was captured from Balochistan in March 2016. He later confessed to his association with RAW, and involvement in espionage and fomenting terrorism in Pakistan.
The Indian spy was tried in a Pakistani military court, which sentenced him to death in April 2017 for espionage and subversive activities.
Hearings in the case, which will run for four days, come at a time of intense tension between the nuclear-armed neighbours, as India has blamed Pakistan for a suicide attack on a convoy in occupied Kashmir last week that killed 44 Indian paramilitary soldiers. Pakistan has strongly rejected the allegations.
India on Monday asked the ICJ to order the release of Jadhav. However, according to diplomatic sources, India has not provided evidence regarding Jadhav’s retirement.
“India did not give a satisfactory response to a question on the passport issued in Hussain Mubarak Patel’s name,” the sources added. “Jadhav had used the passport in the name of Hussain Mubarak Patel to visit India 17 times,” they added.
Pakistan’s delegation led by Attorney General Anwar Mansoor will present its arguments today and will make its closing submissions on Thursday. It is expected that the ICJ decision will be delivered by summer this year.
Last week, Pakistan presented a fact sheet with evidence obtained from Jadhav after his arrest and during the criminal process.
On May 18, 2018, the ICJ through an interim order stayed Jadhav’s execution until a final decision in the proceedings. Geo Tv
