India’s Diplomacy: Pakistan Government Presented An Ordinance In View Of ICJ Ruling To Give Right Of Appeal To Kulbhushan Jadhav
ISLAMABAD: Despite protest by the Opposition parties the Pakistan government on Monday presented an ordinance in the National Assembly in view of the International Court of Justice’s ruling in the case of Indian.
Under the ‘International Court of Justice Review and Reconsideration Ordinance 2020’, which was enacted on May 20, a petition for the review of a military court’s decision can be made to Islamabad High Court through an application within 60 days of its promulgation.
Retired Indian Navy officer Jadhav, a 50-year-old was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism in April 2017. India approached the ICJ against Pakistan for denial of consular access to Jadhav and challenging the death sentence.
Bill to give right of appeal to Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav under ICJ (International Court of Justice ) ruling presented in Pakistan national Assembly: Pakistan media
— ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2020
The Hague-based ICJ ruled in July 2019 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. Under the law, the ordinance should be presented in Parliament.
The Prime Minister’s Advisor on Parliamentary Affairs, Babar Awan, placed the ordinance before the lower house. Last week, a similar effort was foiled by Opposition parties – Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People-s Party (PPP) which staged a walkout by pointing out lack of quorum to transact any business in the house.
Law Minister Farogh Naseem on Friday asked the Opposition parties to ‘avoid politics’ on the issue and warned them that India would take the matter to the UN Security Council if the ICJ verdict was not implemented. In a unilateral move, Pakistan last week filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court, seeking appointment of a “legal representative” for Jadhav.
However, the main parties, including the government of India, were not consulted ahead of the filing of the application by the Ministry of Law and Justice under the ordinance. In New Delhi, External affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava on Thursday said Pakistan has once again exposed its “farcical” approach by denying available legal remedies to Jadhav against his death sentence which is also in contravention of the ICJ verdict, and asserted that it will explore further options in the case.
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