Pakistan offers third consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav without presence of its officials

New Delhi, July 17: Pakistan on Friday offered third consular access to India for Kulbhushan Jadhav. Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that a note verbale has been sent meeting India's demand to not have a security personnel during the meeting.

This development came a day after India accused the country of violating an international tribunal's verdict by not providing "unimpeded, unhindered and unconditional" access to Kulbhushan Jadhav. India also said Kulbhushan Jadhav was "visibly under stress".

Pakistan had provided the second consular access to Jadhav after holding extensive discussions with India. The first consular access was provided by Pakistan on September 2, 2019, the Pakistan Foreign Office said in a statement.

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. Weeks later, India approached the ICJ against Pakistan for denial of consular access to Jadhav and challenging the death sentence.

The Hague-based ICJ ruled in July last year 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.