Pakistan again contacts India on Kulbhushan Jadhav
Islamabad: Foreign Office Thursday ssud that Pakistan has recontacted Indian government over matter of appointing legal representative for spy and agent of intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) Kulbhushan Jadhav.
During the news briefing, FO spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said that the move came under the light of Islamabad High Court (IHC) directives. We are waiting for the response of Indian authorities on this matter, she told.
Earlier, IHC had directed the government to recontact India for appointment of legal representative for Kulbhushan Jadhav. IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah asked the attorney general to brief the court about history of the case.
The CJ said that we want to make Indian government and Kulbhushan part of the case over which, the federation assured to again approach the neighboring country through foreign office for hiring of lawyer for the spy.
On July 22, 2020, the government had moved the court stating that Kulbhushan, who was involved in several terrorist activities in Pakistan, had refused to file plea against his sentence. The agent cannot appoint lawyer in Pakistan without assistance from India, it read.
On July 2, 2020, Pakistan had decided to grant third consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav following his refusal to file review petition against his sentence.
On July 16, 2020, Indian Charge d’affaires reached the Foreign Office as New Delhi accepted Pakistan’s offer to give second consular access to Jadhav. The place where the agent was kept had been declared as sub-jail.
Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said first consular access under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations 1963 was earlier provided by Pakistan on second September last year. She said the mother and wife of commander Jadhav were also allowed to meet him on December 25, 2017.
Aisha Farooqui said two consular officers of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad were provided unimpeded and uninterrupted consular access to Commander Jadhav.
