New Delhi, July 8: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) accused Pakistan of not implementing the judgment of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in "letter and spirit" in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case. The MEA in a statement said that India has been pursuing through diplomatic channels full and effective implementation of the ICJ judgment in the case, and the government would its utmost to protect Jadhav. Kulbhushan Jadhav Case: Pakistan Says Retired Indian Navy Officer Refused to File Review Petition for Reconsideration of Conviction.

The Ministry stated, “The media statement made by Pakistan today in the case seeks to mask its continuing reticence to implement ICJ judgment in letter and spirit.” The MEA’s statement came hours after Pakistan claimed that captured Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav had refused to file a review petition. The MEA also said that Pakistan continued to deny India free access to Jadhav.

MEA's Statements:

It added, "Now, after almost a yr, they've made a u-turn & issued an Ordinance to ostensibly provide for some sort of review. We've already expressed our serious concerns at the content of the Ordinance & how it violates ICJ judgment. Pakistan is only seeking to create an illusion of remedy."

According to Pakistan, Jadhav has decided to go ahead with his pending mercy plea. Pakistan Additional Attorney General Ahmed Irfan said, “On June 17, 2020, Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav was invited to file a petition for review and reconsideration of his sentence and conviction. Exercising his legal right, he refused to file a petition for review and reconsideration of his sentence and conviction.” Kulbhushan Jadhav Case: Pakistan to Provide Consular Access To Former Indian Naval Officer Tomorrow.

In a press conference, the official said that Jadhav insisted on the mercy petition he filed on April 17, 2017. As per Pakistan media reports, Pakistan government has offered second consular access to Jadhav, who was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of "espionage and terrorism" in April 2017. India then approached the ICJ against Pakistan. In July 2019, the ICJ ordered Pakistan not to execute Jadhav and asked it to reconsider the death sentence awarded to him by a military court.

Pakistan claimed that Jadhav, the former Indian Navy officer, was arrested from Balochistan by Pakistani security forces on March 3, 2016, after he allegedly entered the country from Iran. India rejected Pakistan's allegations about Jadhav's involvement in spying and subversive activities and said that he was kidnapped from the Iranian port of Chabahar where he was running a business.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 08, 2020 08:57 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).