Pakistan has not been able to fulfil its obligations on implementation of International Court of Justice (ICJ) judgment in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case, Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Anurag Srivastava told reporters.
Srivastava also said that Pakistan has not addressed the appointment of an Indian lawyer or a Queen’s counsel to ensure a free and fair trial for Jadhav.
“The Government of Pakistan has not been able to fulfil its obligations on implementation of the ICJ judgment in letter and spirit. It has not yet addressed the core issues, which includes the provision of all documents related to the case, providing unconditional and unimpeded consular access to Kulbhusan Jadhav and appointment of an Indian lawyer or a Queen’s counsel to ensure free and fair trial,” he said.
Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri had earlier said that there was no other option for India but to “cooperate with Pakistani courts”, which only permit the appearance of locally registered lawyers before the bench.
India has said Pakistan should provide for an “unimpeded, unhindered and unconditional consular access” and that the meeting of Indian officials with Jadhav should take place in an atmosphere free from fear of retribution.
India has also said that any conversation between Jadhav and High Commission officials must necessarily take place in privacy and without the presence of any Pakistani official or recording by Pakistan.
Pakistan claims that Jadhav was arrested from Balochistan in 2016 on charges of espionage. India has rejected Pakistan’s allegations and said he was kidnapped from the Iranian port of Chabahar.
The ICJ had upheld India’s claim that Pakistan has committed an egregious violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations on several counts.