Vienna Convention not for spies: Pakistan to ICJ

The Hague: Vienna Convention provisions on consular access were not intended for a “spy” involved in terror activities, Pakistan on Monday told the International Court of Justice (ICJ). India’s application on Kulbhushan Jadhav, who was arrested in March last year and sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and subversive activities, was “unnecessary and misconceived” and must be dismissed, Pakistan told the UN’s highest judicial body.

India had been unable to provide an explanation for Jadhav’s passport which bears a Muslim name, Mohammed Faisal of the Pakistan foreign office said in his opening remarks in response to India’s submissions earlier in the day.

India was using the court as the “scene of political theatre” but “we will not respond in kind”, Mr Faisal told the ICJ which held a day-long proceedings to decide the fate of the former Indian Navy officer.

There has been deafening silence and no response from India on Pakistan’s accusations on Jadhav, Pakistan’s lawyer Khawar Qureshi said.

The urgent hearing comes after the ICJ last week stayed Jadhav’s execution.

While India presented its argument over 90 minutes, Pakistan, which claims that Jadhav is an agent of India’s external intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), took less than an hour.