Kulbhushan Jadhav ICJ hearing: Pakistan to present its concluding arguments at International Court of Justice

Kulbhushan Jadhav ICJ hearing: Pakistan will answer to India’s case placed at International Court of Justice in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case today.

Kulbhushan Jadhav ICJ hearing: Pakistan will answer to India’s case placed at International Court of Justice in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case today. (AP)

Kulbhushan Jadhav ICJ hearing: Pakistan will answer to India’s case placed at International Court of Justice in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case today. A day after India slammed Pakistan for being "bereft of a case," during the ongoing hearings at ICJ, the neighbouring country will present its concluding arguments on Thursday. The four-day hearing in the Jadhav case opened on Monday amidst heightened tensions between both the countries following one of the worst terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad terror group that killed 40 CRPF soldier. India on Wednesday questioned the functioning of Pakistan's notorious military courts and urged the ICJ to annul Kulbhushan Jadhav's death sentence, which is based on an "extracted confession". Jadhav, 48, a retired Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of "espionage and terrorism" after a closed trial in April 2017. His sentencing evoked a sharp reaction in India. Making the final submission in the ICJ on the third day of the hearing, Deepak Mittal, Joint Secretary, the Ministry of External Affairs, requested the top UN court to declare that Pakistan acted in breach of Article 36 of Vienna Convention, failed to inform Jadhav of his rights and declined consular access to him. Harish Salve, who was representing India in the case, also said that the time has come for the ICJ to make Article 36 a potent weapon for protecting human rights. Salve said Pakistan has continued to misuse the opportunity provided by the ICJ in the Jadhav case. On Pakistan's argument that India did not provide proof of Jadhav's nationality, Salve said Pakistan had no doubt when it arrested Jadhav that he was an Indian national. The ICJ is expected to deliver its verdict in the summer of 2019. (With inputs from PTI)