Appreciate ICJ’s decision not to acquit, release and return Kulbhushan Jadhav to India, says Imran Khan

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday said that he ‘appreciated ICJ decision not to acquit’ former Indian naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav, a day after the court ordered “review and reconsideration” of his conviction.

“Appreciate ICJ’s decision not to acquit, release & return Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav to India. He is guilty of crimes against the people of Pakistan. Pakistan shall proceed further as per law,” Khan wrote on twitter.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling is seen as a significant victory for India’s efforts to prevent the execution of the 49-year-old. The UN’s principal court ruled that a continued stay of Jadhav’s death sentence was an “indispensable condition” for an effective “review and reconsideration” of his conviction.

The court ruled that Pakistan had violated Jadhav’s right to consular access and called for a review of the death sentence handed to him by a military court at an appropriate forum of Islamabad’s choice.

Noting the review could be done in various ways, ICJ left the “choice of means” to Pakistan. The court, based in The Hague, Netherlands, said the review must be unconditional and lead to a result. It also called on Pakistan to take all measures for an effective review, including “enacting appropriate legislation”.

Jadhav was arrested by Pakistani security agencies in Balochistan on March 3, 2016, and charged with involvement in spying and subversive activities. In April 2017, Pakistan announced that Jadhav had been given the death sentence by a military court.