India Asks Pakistan for ‘Unimpeded’ Consular Access to Jadhav

The External Affairs Ministry said it was evaluating Pakistan’s offer of granting consular access to Jadhav.

File photo of Kulbhushan Jadhav.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

India has asked Pakistan to provide “unimpeded” consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav in an environment free of the “fear of intimidation” and reprisal, in concord with the ruling given by the International Court of Justice in his case, official sources said on Friday, 2 August.

Earlier this week, Pakistan sent India a proposal offering consular access to Jadhav.

On Thursday, India sent a communication to Pakistan making clear its position that the consular access must be “unimpeded” and should be in light of the judgment given by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Official sources said Pakistan's response to India's communication is awaited.

The External Affairs Ministry on Thursday, said it was evaluating Pakistan's offer of granting consular access to Jadhav after the ICJ judgement in the case.

There were reports that Pakistan had put some conditions on granting consular access to Jadhav.

One of the conditions reportedly was the presence of a Pakistani official when the Indian prisoner is allowed to meet Indian officials as part of the consular access.

The Backdrop

Jadhav, 49, a retired Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of “espionage and terrorism” in April 2017, following which India had moved the ICJ.

Following the ICJ order, India has asked Pakistan to grant full consular access to Jadhav at the earliest in “full compliance and conformity” of the world court's verdict.

In its 42-page order, the court, while rejecting Pakistan's objection to admissibility of the Indian application in the case, held that “a continued stay of execution constitutes an indispensable condition for the effective review” of the sentence of Jadhav.

The Bench, however, rejected some remedies sought by India, including annulment of the military court's decision of convicting Jadhav, his release and safe passage to India.

The ICJ upheld India's stand that Pakistan is in egregious violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, 1963, on several counts in the case.