Kulbhushan Jadhav Case: As ICJ Set To Deliver Verdict Today, A Brief Timeline Of Facts

The Indian government had approached the International Court of Justice over the arbitrary death sentence handed down to Jadhav after an ad hoc hearing in Pakistan.

Kulbhushan Jadhav

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is expected to pronounce its verdict today in the case relating to Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav. Jadhav, an Indian national and a retired Navy officer, was arbitrarily arrested by Pakistan in 2016 for being an ‘Indian spy’. The Indian government had approached the International Court of Justice over the arbitrary death sentence handed down to Jadhav after an ad hoc hearing in Pakistan. Kulbhushan Jadhav is retired Indian Navy officer, who was arrested by Pakistani officials on 3 March 2016 in Balochistan (as claimed by Pakistan) on suspicion of espionage and sabotage activities against the country. Pakistan's claim on Kulbushan Jadhav

Pakistan claims that Jadhav was an Indian spy working on the behest of India’s intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing. India's position on Kulbhushan Jadav The Indian government maintains that Kulbhushan Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Navy and that he has no links with the government or any Indian spy agency. A timeline of events:  25 March 2016: Pakistani establishment informed the Indian authorities about Kulbhushan Jadhav’s arrest via a press release.  On the very same day, India sought consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav for the first time. 30 March 2016: India once again sent a reminder to Pakistan, reiterating its request for consular access. In addition, thirteen more reminders were sent. 7 December 2016: Pakistan Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz also confirmed that conclusive evidence against Kulbhushan has not been found. However, Pakistan Foreign Ministry soon released a statement the same day stating that the statement attributed to the Adviser is incorrect. 6 January 2017: Pakistan announced that it has submitted a dossier to the new United Nations’ Secretary General Antonio Guterres over Indian interference in Islamabad, which was aimed at “destabilizing” the nation. 10 April 2017: Pakistan Army’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a press release informed that Jadhav had been awarded the death sentence after by a military court in Pakistan. May 2017 India approached the ICJ against Pakistan for denying consular access to Jadhav. India had also challenged the “farcical” trial by the military court of Pakistan against the 48-year-old. 15 May 2017: The ICJ decided to hear the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav as India and Pakistan presents their argument in the trial. Senior jurist and former Solicitor General of India, Harish Salve represented the country in the International Court of Justice.

October, 2017: Islamabad writes to New Delhi, offering to discuss Jadhav’s extradition to India. However, New Delhi has to accept Jadhav as a criminal under the laws of India. The ICJ on 18 May 2017, restrained Pakistan from executing Jadhav till the adjudication of the case. The ICJ put a stay on the death sentence given by Pakistan to Kulbhushan Jadhav after an appeal from India, which accused Pakistan of “egregious violations” of the Vienna Convention.

India had filed its second round of pleadings on 17 April 2018 to the ICJ at The Hague. “In keeping with the order of the International Court of Justice of January 17, 2018, India today (Tuesday) submitted its reply in the court in the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav,” the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.