Pak To Provide Consular Access To Kulbhushan Jadhav Today; India Demands Unimpeded Access

On July 17, the ICJ ordered Pakistan to undertake an "effective review and reconsideration" of the conviction and sentence of Jadhav and also to grant consular access to India without further delay.

Kulbhushan Jadhav

New Delhi: Pakistan on Sunday announced that it will provide consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav, the 49- year-old retired Indian Navy officer who is on death row in Pakistan, on Monday. Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said that Jadhav, is being provided the consular access "in line with Vienna Convention on Consular relations, ICJ judgement and the laws of Pakistan". India said that deliberations are going on over the offer of consular access to Jadhav by Pakistan. Sources in government said : “We will study the offer. Our position on the access has been clarified that it should be nothing short of unimpeded and unrestricted access.” This comes nearly six weeks after Pakistan promised consular access to the Indian national. However, Faisal's tweets on Sunday doesn't say if the consular access is unhindered as demanded by India. Jadhav is on a death row in Pakistan which has accused him of spying. He was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of "espionage and terrorism" in April 2017, following which India had moved the International Court of Justice (ICJ), seeking a stay on his death sentence and further remedies. On July 17, the ICJ ordered Pakistan to undertake an "effective review and reconsideration" of the conviction and sentence of Jadhav and also to grant consular access to India without further delay. One of the conditions put by Pakistan reportedly was the presence of a Pakistani official when Jadhav is allowed to meet Indian officials as part of the consular access. India did not agree to the condition, making clear its position that the consular access must be "unimpeded" and should be in the light of the judgement by the ICJ. Pakistan claims that its security forces arrested Jadhav from the restive Balochistan province on March 3, 2016 after he reportedly entered from Iran. However, India maintains that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Navy.