Diplomats Reject Pak Handshakes at ICJ & Use ‘Namaskar’ Instead

Deepak Mittal ignored Pakistan Attorney General Anwar Mansoor Khan’s extended hand and offered a ‘namaskar’ instead.

Pakistan’s Attorney General Anwar Mansoor Khan (right) greets Deepak Mittal, the joint secretary of India’s Foreign Ministry, prior to India presenting oral arguments at the ICJ in The Hague.

(Photo: AP)

As tensions ratchet up between India-Pakistan after the 14 February attack on the CRPF convoy in Pulwama, senior Indian diplomat Deepak Mittal had a ‘namaskar’ to offer when Pakistan’s Attorney General Anwar Mansoor Khan extended his hand at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) before the hearing on Kulbhushan Jadhav.

Khan greeted Mittal prior to India presenting its oral arguments at the ICJ in The Hague, Netherlands.

India is presenting its case seeking the cancellation of Kulbhushan Jadhav’s death sentence that was awarded by a Pakistani military court in 2017 on charges of espionage.

Rejecting Pakistani handshakes appears to be a tried and tested tactic of Mittal. A similar incident occurred in 2017 when Mittal ignored the outstretched hand of Mohammad Faisal, Pakistan's DG for South Asia and SAARC, and offered a ‘namaskar’ instead.

According to news agency PTI, back then Mittal shook hands with others in the Pakistan delegation, including the Pakistani attorney general.

(With inputs from PTI)