New Delhi/Islamabad, Aug 1, 2019: Pakistan has decided to grant consular access to Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav, in accordance with the International Court of Justice’s ruling, and has informed India about it.
New Delhi confirmed on Thursday it has received the Pakistani proposal and said it will communicate with Islamabad through diplomatic channels.
Amid reports that Pakistan is insisting that it will have its own person, likely to be from its Inter Services Intelligence agency, present during the consular access meeting with Jadhav, India said that it is “evaluating the Pakistani proposal in the light of the judgement of the ICJ ruling”.
“I am not getting into the modalities. We have received a proposal from Pakistan, and we are evaluating it in the light of judgment of the ICJ. We will maintain communication with Pakistan through diplomatic channels,” said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar, answering queries at a media briefing in New Delhi.
Earlier, Pakistani media said that Islamabad has decided to grant consular access to Jadhav “by tomorrow (Friday)”.
Dunya News, quoting the Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson, said that Islamabad has formally informed the Indian High Commission about the consular access to Jadhav and is awaiting the Indian response.
Acting on the International Court of Justice ruling, Pakistan has agreed to grant consular access to Jadhav “according to Pakistani laws”, the Pakistan Foreign Office was quoted as saying.
On July 18, Pakistan said it has informed Jadhav of his rights to consular access under the Vienna Convention, in accordance with the ICJ ruling, and that it will grant consular access to the Indian national “according to Pakistani laws”.
The move comes after the ICJ rapped Islamabad for continually denying Jadhav, incarcerated in a military jail in an unknown location in Pakistan, consular access in accordance with the Vienna Convention.
The ICJ has directed Pakistan for a continued stay on the death sentence of Jadhav and to provide him consular access. (IANS)
