Kulbhushan Jadhav case: Pakistan to file 400-page rejoinder in ICJ today
Islamabad, July 17: Pakistan will on Tuesday file its second written reply to India's arguments in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case and it's said to be 400 pages long, Pakistani media reported.
The 400-page reply has been prepared by a team of experts, led by the attorney general, according to Pakistan's Geo TV.
Pakistan's memorial will be in response to pleadings filed by India in the Hague-based ICJ on April 17.
After the submission of the second counter-memorial, the UN Court will fix the matter for hearing, which is likely to take place next year.
India had moved the ICJ in May last year after Jadhav, 48, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism.
A 10-member bench of the ICJ on May 18 had restrained Pakistan from executing Jadhav till adjudication of the case. In its written pleadings, India had accused Pakistan of violating the Vienna Convention by not giving consular access to Jadhav arguing that the convention did not say that such access would not be available to an individual arrested on espionage charges.
In response, Pakistan through its counter-memorial on December 13 told the ICJ that the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations 1963 applied only to legitimate visitors and did not cover clandestine operations.
Pakistan had said that "since India did not deny that Jadhav was travelling on a passport with an assumed Muslim name, they have no case to plead." Pakistan said that India did not explain how "a serving naval commander" was travelling under an assumed name.
It
also
stated
that
"since
Jadhav
was
on
active
duty,
it
is
obvious
that
he
was
a
spy
sent
on
a
special
mission."
Giving
false
identity
to
Kulbhushan,
sending
him
for
espionage
and
funding
of
terrorists
activities
are
all
some
of
the
reasons
which
disentitle
India
from
invoking
the
jurisdiction
of
the
ICJ,
Pakistan
had
said.
India has been maintaining that the trial of Jadhav by a military court in Pakistan was "farcical".
Pakistan claims that its security forces arrested Jadhav from restive Balochistan province on March 3, 2016 after he reportedly entered from Iran.
However, India maintains that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Navy. Jadhav's sentencing had evoked a sharp reaction in India.
India had approached the ICJ for "egregious" violation of the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, 1963, by Pakistan in Jadhav's case.