AMN
Pakistan has again turned down the Indian request for consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav, currently facing death penalty in that country. Jadhav was picked up by Pakistan army on alleged charges of espionage, terrorism and subversive activities.
New Delhi had requested Islamabad to grant full and early consular access to former naval officer Jadhav, as the two countries exchanged lists of prisoners lodged in each others’ jails. Pakistan has turned down at least five such requests since Jadhav’s arrest from Balochistan province last year. Pakistan foreign office said in a statement, it was a travesty of logic to link the case of Jadhav with civilian prisoners.
Earlier, the International Court of Justice at the Hague had told Pakistan not to execute the sentence till its further orders. ICJ had also told Islamabad to give consular access to Jadhav. India said, Pakistan has violated the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations by denying Jadhav access to legal and other assistance from India. New Delhi holds, he was kidnapped from Iran and dismisses Islamabad’s allegations.