Kulbhushan Jadhav in Pakistan jail
New Delhi: In a bid for free and fair trial, India wants Kulbhushan Jadhav to be represented by an Indian lawyer for filing a review petition against his death sentence in Pakistan, MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said on Thursday.
“We are in touch with Pakistan through diplomatic channels. We believe, for a free and fair trial in keeping with the letter and spirit of ICJ judgment in Kulbhushan Jhadav case, we have asked that Jadhav be represented by an Indian lawyer,” Mr Srivastava said during the weekly virtual press briefing here on Thursday.
Further, he added, “However, it is important that Pakistan needs to address the core issues; these issues involve the provision of relevant documents and providing unimpeded consular access to Jadhav.”
Jadhav, the 50-year-old retired Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism in April 2017.
India approached the International Court of Justice against Pakistan for denial of consular access to Jadhav and challenging the death sentence.
The Hague-based ICJ ruled in July 2019 that Pakistan must undertake an “effective review and reconsideration” of the conviction and sentence of Jadhav and also to grant consular access to India without further delay.
