New Delhi: India has slammed Pakistan for trying to link the Kulbhushan Jadhav case with another case of an Indian. The latter has completed his sentence but is still in jail and awaiting repatriation. India has strongly criticised Pakistan for trying to like Kulbhushan Jadhav with the other crime.
Pakistani media reports recently claimed that the counsel for the Indian High Commission, Shahnawaz Noon, had told the Islamabad High Court that Deputy Indian High Commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia wants to explain India’s stance over appointment of a lawyer for death-row prisoner Jadhav. However, New Delhi said Thursday that Noon had made the remarks without any authorisation. The counsel appears to have acted ‘under pressure from the Pakistani establishment’.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Anurag Srivastava spoke on the issue at a media conference. “Pakistan is trying to link the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav with another prisoner’s case,” he said.
Srivastava gave the background in the other case. In a routine consular practice, Noon was selected by the Indian High Commission to appear in the case for release and repatriation of Indian prisoner Mohammad Ismail, who has completed his sentence but continues to be in jail in Pakistan.
“However, during proceedings of the case regarding Ismail, Pakistan Attorney General raised the matter pertaining to Jadhav, though the two cases are not connected in any way,” informed Srivastava.
“Mr Noon is reported to have made those statements which are not true and are in contravention of our stand in the case. He appears to have acted under pressure from the Pakistani establishment to make such statements for which he has no authorisation,” Srivastava added. Noon has misrepresented the position of the Indian High Commission, he asserted.
Srivastava said Noon was clearly told by the Indian High Commission that he had no authority to represent either the government of India or Jadhav.
“Our Mission in Islamabad has written to Mr Noon reiterating that he has no authority to represent Mr Jadhav and has no basis to suggest that the Indian Cd’A would appear in the court,” Srivastava informed.
“As regards our position on Jadhav, I have clarified this on several instances in the past, Pakistan has failed to respond on core issues pertaining to the case, including provision of all documents, providing unimpeded, unhindered and unconditional consular access to Jadhav and this is required to provide the basis for an effective review and reconsideration of the case as ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ),” he said.
In 2017, India approached the ICJ against Pakistan for denial of consular access to Jadhav and challenging the death sentence handed to him by a military court.
The Hague-based ICJ ruled in July 2019 that Pakistan must undertake an ‘effective review and reconsideration’ of the conviction and sentence of Jadhav and also to grant consular access to India without further delay.
Jadhav, a retired Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism in April 2017.