New Delhi: After Pakistan granted consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav, an Indian national who is on death row in a Pakistan jail, India on Thursday said it will assess the situation after officials returned and provide a report.
During the virtual weekly briefing, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, “India has been requesting for an Unimpeded, unhindered and unconditional consular access to Shri Kulbushan Jadhav. On the basis of assurances provided our officials have proceeded for the meeting today.”
“We will assess the situation after our officials return and provide a report. We will provide our comments thereafter,” he said.
July 20 is deadline to file a review petition.
The development has come a week after Pakistan claimed that Kulbhushan Jadhav has declined to file an appeal in the Islamabad High Court against his conviction by a military court despite Pakistani authorities' offer to do so.
However, India had dismissed this claim as “farce”.
India had said Pakistan's claims on Kulbhushan Jadhav as “farce” and said he has clearly been “coerced” to forego his rights.
Last week, Mr Srivastava also asserted that India will do its "utmost" to protect Kulbhushan Jadhav and ensure his safe return to India.
Kulbhushan Jadhav, a retired Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism in April 2017.
Challenging the death sentence, India approached the International Court of Justice against Pakistan for denial of consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav.
The ICJ had, then, restrained Pakistan from executing Kulbhushan Jadhav.
In July last year, the Hague-based court ruled that Pakistan must undertake an “effective review and reconsideration” of the conviction and sentence of Kulbhushan Jadhav and also to grant consular access to India without further delay.
