Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Quraishi on Wednesday called the International Court of Justice's verdict on Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav, ‘a victory for Pakistan’.
The ICJ found that India’s submission pertaining to the acquittal and release of Kulbhushan Jadhav could not be upheld. According to the ICJ, the conviction and sentence of Kulbhushan Jadhav were not to be regarded as a violation of Article 36 of the Vienna Convention.
The foreign minister tweeted that Jadhav will remain in Pakistan, and will be treated in accordance with the Pakistani laws.
Commander Jadhav — an Indian Navy officer working for Indian covert agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) — was arrested on March 3, 2016, from Balochistan after he entered into Pakistan from Iran.
Jadhav was tried in a military court which sentenced him to death for espionage and subversive activities.
In a reaction to the move, Pakistan’s relations with neighboring India tensed, and New Delhi approached the ICJ to hear the case. On May 18, 2017, the ICJ ordered Pakistan to halt the execution of Jadhav until a final decision was made in the proceedings.
