Kulbhushan Jadhav, a former Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death on charges of ‘espionage and terrorism' by a Pakistan military court. (File)Pakistan has offered consular access to former Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav, who is sentenced to death on espionage charges, on Friday. The development comes two weeks after the International Court of Justice ruled in favour of India on the issue of consular access.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India is evaluation the proposal by Pakistan in the light of the ICJ verdict. “We will maintain communication with Pakistan in this matter through diplomatic channels,” he told reporters. The Pakistan foreign ministry had earlier said that Islamabad will grant consular access to Jadhav “according to Pakistani laws”.
India has argued that Article 36 Paragraph 1(a) of the Vienna Convention says that “consular officers shall be free to communicate with nationals of the sending State and to have access to them. Nationals of the sending State shall have the same freedom…to communication with and access to consular officers of the sending State.” India is the sending State in this case.
Last week, the countries discussed the modalities of granting consular access to Jadhav. Among the key issues under discussion, sources said, were how many Indian officials will conduct Jadhav's interview, duration of their meeting, whether Pakistani officials will be present…
