Islamabad, September 2: Kulbhushan Jadhav, the former Indian naval officer who has been jailed in Pakistan on espionage charges, was finally granted consular access by Islamabad. The 47-year-old was allowed to meet India's Deputy High Commissioner to Pakistan, Gaurav Ahluwalia. Details of the meeting were yet to be disclosed by the time this report was published. Ahluwalia was expected to apprise Jadhav on the future of his case, as Pakistan has agreed to adhere with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) verdict and will be reviewing the death penalty awarded to him.
The ICJ had, in July this year, ordered Pakistan to grant consular access to Jadhav as per the Vienna Convention protocol. It further asked Islamabad to "effectively review" the death penalty accorded to him by the military court, and re-hear the matter in a just and impartial manner. The government of Prime Minister Imran Khan has agreed to implement the global court's order. Kulbhushan Jadhav Verdict: Truth And Justice Prevailed, Tweets PM Narendra Modi on ICJ Judgment Favouring India
Update by ANI:
Pakistan: The meeting between India's Deputy High Commissioner to Pakistan, Gaurav Ahluwalia and #KulbhushanJadhav begins. pic.twitter.com/nSqHGFF0nO
— ANI (@ANI) September 2, 2019
According to the Pakistani government, Jadhav was arrested on March 3, 2016 from the Balochistan province where he was allegedly deployed by the Indian agencies to fuel unrest. He is charged of coordinating with the insurgent groups and aiding them in carrying out militant attacks in the restive province.
India has, however, denied the charge claiming that Jadhav was abducted by Pakistan's Inter-State Intelligence (ISI) from the border region of Iran -- where the former naval officer was on a personal business visit.
The Pakistani military court had in April 2017 convicted Jadhav of espionage and sentenced him to death. The verdict was, however, stayed after India moved the ICJ.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 02, 2019 01:32 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).