India

International Court of Justice stays Pakistan’s order on Kulbhushan Jadhav

International Court of Justice stays Pakistan’s order on Kulbhushan Jadhav

On Tuesday International Court of Justice stayed the hanging of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of spying. Staying order came a day after India approached by The Hague-based ICJ against the death sentence handed down to Jadhav by Pakistan’s field general court martial in April.

India has accused Pakistan of violating the Vienna Convention and said Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he was involved in business activities after retiring from the Indian Navy but Pakistan claimed to have arrested him from Balochistan on March 3, 2016. India will argue its case on Kulbhushan Jadhav, making it a unique occasion in the execution of the international law. The Indian move in the ICJ on Kulbhushan Jadhav was swift and the order caught everyone, including Pakistan, by surprise. The “provisional measures” sought by India and granted by ICJ in a midnight order includes a halt to the execution of Jadhav, the earliest date for which is May 19. Since an execution is irreversible, the ICJ delivered an immediate stay, which, if nothing else, gives Jadhav, and India, some breathing room.

This stay order the hanging of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav is a huge relief for India and is consider as a diplomatic victory of India over Pakistan. Foreign minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted “I have spoken to the mother of Kulbhushan Jadhav and told her about the order of President, ICJ under Art 74 paragraph 4 of Rules of Court,”.

On 3 March 2016, Pakistan had claimed that Kulbhushan Jadhav was arrested from the restive Balochistan province. Last month, a Pakistan military court sentenced him to death, alleging he was working as a spy for intel agency Research and Analysis Wing or RAW. Pakistan also claimed that he was “a serving officer in the Indian Navy”. Days after his arrest, the Pakistan army had released a video in which he was seen admitting to the claims made by Pakistan. India has rubbished the claims.

 

 

About the author

Pallavi Parmar

Journalism is my profession, Blogging and Writing are my passion, Travelling is my love, Food is my life and Feminist by nature.