The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Thursday ordered Pakistan to halt the execution of Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav until a final decision in the proceedings.
“Pakistan shall take all measures at its disposal to ensure that Jadhav is not executed pending the final decision in these proceedings,” ordered Judge Ronny Abraham, president of the court, as he announced the decision.
The ICJ rejected Pakistan’s stance and stated that the court had jurisdiction and would hear the case and seek arguments from both parties.
Judge Abraham stated that the ICJ had prima facie jurisdiction under Article 1 of the Optional Protocol section. The Court further observed that the existence of a 2008 bilateral Agreement between the Parties on consular relations does not change its conclusion on jurisdiction.
The Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria on Thursday said that Pakistan had challenged the authority of the ICJ after consulting with all institutions and agencies.
“No institution can be party to Pakistan’s national security,” Zakaria said.
The ICJ on Monday had conducted hearing into India’s petition demanding staying of Pakistan’s death sentence to Kulbhushan Jadhav, a RAW operative and on-duty Indian navy officer who was apprehended from Balochistan in a counter-intelligence operation in March 2016.
Pakistan’s counsel, Khawar Qureshi, presented the country’s stance in the ICJ on the death sentence handed to Jadhav, contending that according to the Vienna Convention the case cannot be heard in the ICJ.
“India has not provided any evidence to rebut that Jadhav is a terrorist,” Qureshi informed the court, moving it to turn down India’s request.
