India distances itself from Pakistan move to get Kulbhushan Jadhav a Lawyer

On Wednesday, India has distanced itself from a move by Pakistan to approach the High Court of Islamabad for appointment of a lawyer for a review of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav’s sentencing by a military Court. Pakistan approached the Court, as official sources said, without the consent of the Indian mission in Islamabad.

India sees the move by Pakistan as another attempt to grandstand & create a smokescreen of review & reconsideration of the death sentence to Jadhav.

While Pakistan is learned to have “extended” the deadline for India to file a review petition in the case, it has not agreed to India’s demand that a lawyer from outside Pakistan represent Jadhav.

As per Pakistan’s May 20 ordinance, the review plea had to filed within sixty days of the promulgation of the ordinance. India, though, does not want to respond to every change in deadline or even Pakistan’s position in the case when it’s yet to get what Indian officials describe as unconditional, & also private, access to Jadhav. 

Calling for an effective review & reconsideration of the military Court’s verdict, the ICJ in 2019, also held Pakistan guilty of violating the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations by denying consular access to Jadhav. An ICJ spokesperson was quoted as having said on Wednesday that the court’s judgment was final, binding & without appeal. The Hague-based ICJ had ruled that Pakistan had failed to inform Jadhav of his rights, & deprived the Indian Govt “of the right to communicate with & have access to him, to visit him in detention & to arrange for his legal representation”.  

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