Pakistan’s newly-appointed Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Thursday said the country has “solid evidence” to effectively fight the Kulbhushan Jadhav case in the International Court of Justice, reported Geo News.
Jadhav is an Indian on death row in Islamabad after Pakistan charged him with espionage for Indian intelligence agencies in 2016. India claims he is a former naval officer. After he was sentenced to death, India moved the ICJ against the verdict in May 2017. The court stayed his execution, but a final verdict is pending.
“We have solid evidence against Jadhav and are hopeful we will win the case in the ICJ [International Court of Justice],” Qureshi said. “We will try our best to present our stance in an effective manner before the ICJ.”
On Wednesday, a report in Geo News had quoted unidentified officials as saying that the ICJ would hear Jadhav’s case from February 19 to 25 next year. Earlier this year, the court had fixed the deadlines for India and Pakistan to file their written pleas in the case.
In December, Jadhav’s mother and wife travelled to Islamabad to meet Jadhav. They were allowed to meet for less than an hour. This was Jadhav’s first contact with his family since his arrest.
In its submission to the court, Pakistan said that Jadhav is not an ordinary person because he had entered the country with the intent of spying and carrying out sabotage activities.
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!