The International Court of Justice has reportedly given India until September 13 to make its submission in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case and Pakistan until December 13 to submit its counter-memorial, ANI reported on Friday.
Meanwhile, India’s Ministry of External Affairs has refuted Pakistan’s claims that the ICJ denied its request for preparation time, ANI reported. MEA official spokesperson Gopal Baglay said the ICJ had approved India’s request for four months during its June 8 hearing.
Pakistani Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf had claimed The Hague denied India’s request for a six-month period to make its submission in the case, Dawn reported. Ausaf said the court’s registrar had informed Pakistan of its decision through its consulate in Netherlands. “India had adopted the stance that the matter was one of life and death, but Pakistan had stated that the ICJ is not a court of appeals,” Ausaf said.
Pakistan’s Attorney General said two to three months was “more than enough” time for India to file a plea about Jadhav’s consular access.
India had taken the case to the ICJ, saying that Pakistan had refused to give them consular access to Jadhav, who was arrested in March 2016 on espionage charges. Jadhav is a former naval officer.
The first hearing in the case took place on May 18 and the court had stayed Jadhav’s execution until the completion of the hearing. It had also asked Pakistan to grant India consular access to Jadhav, which has not been done so far. Although the ICJ’s stay on Jadhav’s execution was a huge relief, Pakistan has maintained that the UN has no jurisdiction in the case, even while saying that its order was not final.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!