India urges ICJ to draw a redline in Kulbhushan Jadhav’s case
The Hague, Feb 21: India strongly objected to the abusive language used by Pakistan's counsel in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), urging the UN court to draw a "redline" to prevent its repetition.
Harish Salve, the former solicitor general of India while presenting India's case before the ICJ, drew the court's attention to the abusive language used by Pakistan through its counsel Khawar Qureshi on the second day of the hearing.
"The language echoed in this court... Perhaps this court may lay down some redlines. The transcript is peppered with words such as shameless, nonsense, disgraceful, arrogant... India takes exception to being addressed in this fashion in an international court. Indian culture prevents me from using similar language...
"India strongly objects to abusive language of Pakistan's counsel," Salve said as the International Court of Justice began the second round of public hearing in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case.
He
said
that
the
criticism
of
a
sovereign
state
of
the
case
made
out
of
the
other
state
must
be
in
a
language
consistent
with
the
dignity
of
other
states,
he
said.
"Humpty-Dumpty
has
no
place
in
this
court,"
Salve
said.
ICJ likely to deliver verdict on Kulbhushan Jadhav in summer of 2019
He said that "when you are strong on law you hammer the law, when you are strong on facts you hammer the facts and when you are strong on neither you hammer the table... Pakistan has hammered the proverbial table. India has hammered facts".
Jadhav, a retired Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of "espionage and terrorism" after a closed trial in April 2017. His sentencing evoked a sharp reaction in India.
On
Wednesday,
India
had
a
maximum
of
90
minutes
to
submit
its
final
arguments
in
the
case.
Pakistan
will
also
get
90
minutes
to
respond
to
India's
arguments
on
Thursday.
The
ICJ
is
expected
to
deliver
its
verdict
in
the
summer
of
2019.
The four-day hearing in the Jadhav case opened Monday at the ICJ headquarters in The Hague amidst heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following one of the worst terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad terror group that killed 40 CRPF soldiers.