Pak virtually rules out 2nd consular access to Jadhav

Pak virtually rules out 2nd consular access to Jadhav

Islamabad: The mother and wife of Mumbai-based former naval officer-turned-businessman Kulbhushan Jadhav, who was arrested on March 3, 2016, and was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism meet him at the Pakistan Foreign Office in Islamabad on Dec 25, 2017. The meeting, with the death row prisoner lasted for about 40 minutes, but with a glass panel separating them and spoke through a speaker phone. The meeting started at 2.18 p.m., according to the

New Delhi/Islamabad, Sep 12 (IANS) India said that it would keep trying to ensure the full implementation of the International Court of Justice verdict in the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav, after Pakistan virtually ruled-out a second consular meeting with the Indian national languishing in a Pakistani jail.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said they would keep trying to see that the ICJ judgement which was in India's favour, is fully implemented.

"The judgement of the ICJ was in our favour... We will keep trying that judgement of the ICJ is fully implemented. We would like to remain in touch with the Pakistani side through diplomatic channels," said Kumar at the weekly media briefing.

"These things are being discussed through diplomatic channels and that is where I would like to leave it at this point of time," he added.

Earlier, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Dr. Mohammad Faisal, replying a media query, said in Islamabad, "There is no second meeting planned".

He also refused to "share any further details" of the September 2 meeting between Jadhav and Indian Charge d' Affaires Gaurav Ahluwalia in a Pakistani sub jail.

After the meeting, the MEA said that Jadhav appeared to be under "extreme pressure" to parrot a false narrative to bolster Pakistan's claim that he was an Indian spy.

Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism in April 2017. India approached the ICJ against the death sentence and also denial of consular access to Jadhav.

On July 17, the ICJ ordered Pakistan to grant consular access to Jadhav and also continued stay on his execution, as well as "effective" review of the death sentence.

--IANS

rn/rs