The Pakistan’s Defence Ministry lawyer Khawaja Haris Ahmed informed the Supreme Court that the Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav was not allowed the right to appeal because of a 2019 International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling focused only on consular access, reports The Dawn. Jadhav is still in a Pakistani prison on charges of espionage and terrorism.
Representing the ministry, Haris raised the case on Wednesday while defending Pakistan’s handling of individuals convicted by military courts for their involvement in the May 9, 2023, protests. He said that while Jadhav was allowed the consular access under international law, the same right to appeal was not given to the Pakistani citizens convicted for the alleged roles in the riots on May 3.
The Pakistani Supreme Court was told that Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan was busy in deliberations over the question of providing the right to appeal before the superior courts to the convicts of the incidents of May 9.
Jadhav was arrested in Balochistan in 2019 on charges of espionage and terrorism.
According to NDTV, India rejected the allegations of Pakistan and said that the retired Indian Navy officer was kidnapped from the Iranian port of Chabahar. The ICJ, in its ruling, also told Pakistan that Jadhav’s execution should remain suspended until Pakistan effectively reviews and reconsiders the conviction and sentence.
