Days after the International Court of Justice stayed Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav’s death sentence given to him by a Pakistani military court, Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit on Sunday hinted that the country will abide by the court’s ruling till the final verdict is out.
In an interview with The Times of India, Basit said that while the country’s domestic laws will “take precedence over International Court of Justice's (ICJ) final judgement”, Pakistan is “committed to international laws and its multilateral obligations.” This statement comes amid fear in India that Jadhav might be executed even before the verdict is out.
Basit, however, added that the country would round up the case in accordance to its domestic laws. “No country compromises on security issues. Remember he was convicted of subversion and terrorism. He is not an ordinary citizen, but a serving naval officer,” The Times of India quoted him as saying.
Basit’s comments came at the same time the lawyer who represented Pakistan in the Jadhav case said that India cannot claim victory in the case. “The order issued by the International Court of Justice is just a procedural order to enable full hearing. It certainly is not a victory for India by any means,” Geo TV quoted Qureshi as saying.
Qureshi also criticised the Indian government and the media for running a vicious and baseless campaign against him.
“It is very disappointing that India should stoop to this level. I understand that someone said I had charged 7,20,000 pounds in legal fees. Where did this figure come from? This is nonsense,” he said.
Pakistan Files Plea to Rehear Jadhav Case
Pakistan on Friday filed a plea in the ICJ for it to rehear Jadhav’s case within six weeks.
Pakistan's Foreign Affairs Advisor Sartaj Aziz said Islamabad, with a new team of lawyers, will put forward its case vigorously in the International Court of Justice against staying Jadhav’s death sentence.
“Pakistan was set to re-challenge the jurisdiction of the ICJ after it granted injunction on Thursday on an Indian plea to stay Jadhav's execution,” Dunya News reported.
According to law, Jadhav can challenge till the end of Saturday his death sentence in an appellate court. A military court sentenced him to death on 10 April on spying and terrorism charges.
Aziz maintained that the ICJ did not order Pakistan to provide consular access to Jadhav, but has merely put forward an opinion. He said a decision to provide consular access to Jadhav is yet to be made.
“Pakistan's security is so important and we have to maintain our fundamental sovereign right,” he said.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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