Pak offers to grant consular access to Jadhav, India evaluates the proposal

Pakistan on Thursday offered consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav, a retired Indian Navy officer for August 2. This comes in the backdrop of a decision by International Court of Justice (ICJ) on July 18 that the country is guilty of violating the Vienna Convention.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar has further confirmed that India has received an offer in this regard from Pak. “We have received a proposal from Pakistan. We are evaluating the proposal in the light of ICJ judgement. We will maintain communication with Pakistan in this matter through diplomatic channels. Whatever response is to be sent will be given by us timely through diplomatic channels.”

The ICJ had suspended Kulbhushan Jadhav’s death penalty and said that Pakistan is violating the Vienna Convention by not granting India consular access to him. The court had also directed Pakistan to review conviction and sentencing of Jadhav.

The ICJ’s ruling can be seen as a big diplomatic win for India. Jadhav, 49, was abducted from Balochistan by Pak security forces in March 2016 on false allegations of spying. Later, Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court in April 2017.

It was only after India approached the ICJ against Pakistan in May 2017, alleging that Pakistan is in breach of Article 36 (1) (b) of Vienna Convention, which called for informing India the arrest of Jadhav without delay.