The Hague,  July 4: The International Court of Justice will give its judgement later this month over India's bid to remove an alleged spy from death row in Pakistan, the tribunal said Thursday. Kulbhushan Sudhir Jadhav, a former Indian navy officer, was arrested in the restive southwestern Pakistani province of Baluchistan in March 2016 on charges of espionage and sentenced to death by a military court. Kulbhushan Jadhav Case: India Seeks Immediate Release of Jadhav, Demands Annulment of Pakistan Court's Death Verdict.

The Hague-based ICJ, which is the UN's top court, said it "will deliver, on Wednesday 17 July 2019, its Judgment in the Jadhav case (India v. Pakistan)."

The ruling will be read out in public at 1300 GMT, it added. India insists that Jadhav was not a spy and says he was kidnapped in Pakistan. New Delhi is asking the International Court of Justice to order Islamabad to annul the sentence.

India's lawyers told the court in February that it was "farcical case" based on "malicious propaganda", while Pakistan's lawyers hit back by accusing Jadhav of "terrorism." Kulbhushan Jadhav Hearing at International Court of Justice: MEA Official Avoids a Hand Shake With Pakistan AG, Greets With Namaste.

The last hearing coincided with a sharp spike in tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours after a suicide bombing in restive Kashmir, although relations have since improved.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 04, 2019 09:43 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).