Kulbhushan Jadhav case: How the entire matter unfolded since March 3, 2016
New Delhi, July 17: With the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling in India's favour in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case and affirming the right to consular access to the former Navy officer, it is worth taking a look at how the entire matter unfolded since March 3, 2016, when he was arrested by the Pakistani authorities.
The retired Indian Navy officer was sentenced to death by the Pakistani military court on charges of "espionage and terrorism". The ICJ today reportedly said Jadhav's death sentence should remain suspended until Pakistan effectively reviews and reconsiders the decision.
The verdict comes after India's close to two-year long quest for a reprieve for Kulbhushan Jadhav. A Pakistani military court had sentenced Jadhav to death in 2017. India then approached the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and asked that Jadhav's death sentence be suspended. India is also demanding that ICJ restrain Pakistan from carrying out the military court's verdict.
In case of an order not favourable, is ICJ ruling binding on Pakistan?
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague today pronounced its judgment in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case in the Peace Palace in the Netherlands.
2016
Jadhav was abducted and sold to the ISI in Pakistan. The manner in which the entire operation was carried out it becomes clear that Pakistan had managed this entire episode in a bid to frame him. (Image courtesy - Prasar Bharti Twitter/ Twitter/@PBNS_India)
April-May, 2017
While government sources confirm that Jadhav was abducted, sold to the ISI and then framed, an activist from Balochistan too had made a similar claim over a year back. While the ISI and Pakistan Army oversaw this entire operation, it was undertaken by operatives of the Lashkar-e-Khorasan and Jaish al Adl. Both are proxies of the ISI. (Image courtesy - Prasar Bharti Twitter/ Twitter/@PBNS_India)
May-December, 2017
Pakistan claims that its security forces had arrested Jadhav from Balochistan province on March 3, 2016, after he entered the country from Iran. India -- on the other hand -- maintains that he was kidnapped from Iran. (Image courtesy - Prasar Bharti Twitter/ Twitter/@PBNS_India)
2018-2019
India has consistently held that he was working as a businessman in Iran, and was kidnapped by Pakistani agencies. (Image courtesy - Prasar Bharti Twitter/ Twitter/@PBNS_India)
In the wake of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) verdict regarding Kulbhushan Jadhav, a pertinent question that needs to be asked if the parties are bound by it. If the ICJ were to rule in India's favour, which is the case now, will Pakistan have to abide by it? Article 94 of the United Nations Charter says that all members of the United Nations have to comply with the decisions of the ICJ. In this case, both India and Pakistan have signed and ratified it.