Kulbhushan Jadhav case: India strongly objects abusive language used by Pakistan at ICJ

Salve drew attention to the transcript of yesterday’s proceedings, which he said was “peppered with words such as shameless, nonsense, disgraceful, arrogant.”

Harish Salve at ICJ during Kulbhushan Jadhav hearing/ Image: ANI

New Delhi: As India presented its second round of arguments, on the third day of the hearing of the Kulbhushan Jadhav case at the International Court of Justice, Indian counsel Harish salve raised a strong objection to the use of abusive language by Pakistan’s counsel the previous day. Salve urged the top UN court to draw a redline to prevent its repetition. The former solicitor general of India drew the court’s attention to the abusive language used by Khawar Qureshi while presenting Pakistan’s side of argument on the second day of hearing. Salve drew attention to the transcript of yesterday’s proceedings, which he said was “peppered with words such as shameless, nonsense, disgraceful, arrogant.” "The language echoed in this court... perhaps this court may lay down some redlines,” he said.  “India takes exception to being addressed in this fashion in an international court. Indian culture prevents me from using similar language.” Salve said that India strongly objects to abusive of Pakistan's counsel. He said that the criticism of a sovereign state of the case made out of the other state must be in a language consistent with the dignity of other states, he said. "Humpty-Dumpty has no place in this court," Salve said. “When you are strong on law you hammer the law, when you are strong on facts you hammer the facts and when you are strong on neither you hammer the table... Pakistan has hammered the proverbial table. India has hammered facts,” he said. ICJ is hearing the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav who was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on the charges of espionage and terrorism. India challenged the verdict in the ICJ. One the first two days of the hearing India and Pakistan made submissions respectively. On Wednesday, India presented second round of arguments. Pakistan will also get 90 minutes to respond to India's arguments on Thursday. The four-day hearing of the ICJ began days after the horrific attack by JeM in Kashmir’s Pulwama which claimed lives of 40 CRPF soldiers of India. (Inputs from PTI)