SATFF REPORTER / NEW DELHI
Kulbhushan Jadhav, the former Naval officer sentenced to death in Pakistan, was forced to giving a statement acknowledging himself a spy, which was circulated by Islamabad, the Indian External affairs ministry said today.
The 49-year-old, on death row since April 2017, was allowed to meet an Indian diplomat for the first time today – weeks after the International Court of Justice ordered Pakistan to allow consular access.
“It was clear that Jadhav appeared to be under extreme pressure to parrot a false narrative to bolster Pakistan’s untenable claims”, MEA spokesman said. .
India has said that it will decide on further course of action in Kulbhushan Jadhav case after receiving the full report from its High Commission in Islamabad on consular access. Officials from the High Commission of India in Islamabad, met Kulbhushan Jadhav today.
The External Affairs Ministry said that after receiving a detailed report, the extent of conformity to the International Court of Justice, ICJ directives will be determined.
In response to queries from the media on consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said the meeting was held in the light of unanimous judgement of the ICJ delivered on 17 July 2019 which found Pakistan in egregious violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, 1963 on many counts and ordered Pakistan to provide Indian consular officers access to Shri Jadhav.
He further stated that while MEA awaits a comprehensive report, it was clear that Jadhav appeared to be under extreme pressure to parrot a false narrative to bolster Pakistan’s untenable claims.
Today’s consular access is a part of the binding obligations of Pakistan, as ordered by the ICJ, to ensure effective review and reconsideration of the conviction and sentence awarded to Jadhav through a farcical process he added.
The spokesperson said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has spoken to Kulbhushan Jadhav’s mother and briefed her about today’s developments.