India accepts Pakistan’s offer for consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav

New Delhi, Sep 02: The government on Monday accepted the proposal for consular access to retired Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav. India has been seeking consular access to Kulbushan Jadhav for the last 3 years. The matter of denial of consular access was taken to ICJ by India.

Indian Charge d' Affaires, Gaurav Ahluwalia, will be meeting Jadhav on Monday. "We hope that the Pakistan will ensure right atmosphere so that the meeting is free, fair, meaningful and effective in keeping with the letter and spirit of the ICJ orders," sources emphasised.

On Sunday, Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said Jadhav, who was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court, will get access on Monday "in line with the ICJ judgement and state laws".

"Consular access for Indian spy Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav, a serving Indian naval officer and RAW operative, is being provided on Monday 2 September 2019, in line with Vienna Convention on Consular relations, ICJ judgement & the laws of Pakistan," Faisal tweeted.

Pakistan's offer had come amidst fresh India-Pakistan tensions, which spiked after India abrogated provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution to revoke Jammu and Kashmir's special status and bifurcated it into two Union Territories.

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 International Court of Justice (ICJ).