MEA bats for 'Indian lawyer' to represent Kulbhushan Jadhav in Pak court
The Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, is keen to have an 'Indian lawyer' represent former naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav in a Pakistani court but made it clear that authorities in Pakistan will have to address the core issues including ensuring "unimpeded consular access to Jadhav".
"....we are in touch with Pakistan through diplomatic channels. For a free and fair trial in keeping with the letter and spirit of ICJ judgement, we have asked for Shri Jadhav to be represented by an Indian lawyer," MEA spokesman Anurag Srivastava told reporters here.
If decks are cleared, the Indian lawyer will be filing a 'review petition' against Jadhav's death sentence in Pakistan.
Noted senior counsel Harish Salve represented Jadhav's case and India at the ICJ.
On August 8, Islamabad High Court set up a three member bench to hear the review petition.
The next date of hearing is September 3.
Jadhav, as alleged by Indian authorities, was picked up by Pakistani operatives in 2016 from the Iranian port of Chabahar, where he was running a business.
Jadhav was sentenced to death by a military court in April 2017 in Pakistan.
The ICJ had stayed the capital punishment at the request of India and after a fierce legal battle it had
ruled in favour of Jadhav and India in July 2019.
The ICJ on July 17, 2019 by 15-1 verdict had held Jadhav's conviction wrong.
The ICJ declared that Pakistan is "under an obligation" to inform Shri Jadhav
without further delay of his rights and to provide India consular access to him, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar had said in his statement in both Houses of Parliament on July 18 last year.
Last month, Pakistan provided consular access to Jadhav. But MEA in Delhi maintained that
a long-awaited meeting of Indian officials with Kulbhushan Jadhav did not yield expected results
as they could not obtain "his written consent for arranging his legal representation".
India also had blasted Pakistan for its continuous "obstructive and insincere" policy with regard Jadhav, held in their custody since 2016, and charged Islamabad with "violating" its assurance given to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at the Hague.
"It is clear that Pakistan’s approach to this matter (on Jadhav) continues to be obstructive and insincere.
It has not only violated its assurance to the ICJ to fully implement the 2019 judgement, but also failed to act in accordance with its own Ordinance," MEA spokesman Anurag Srivastava has said after
two Indian consular officials registered their protest at the conduct of Islamabad.
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PM gets tele call from Nepal counterpart K P Sharma Oli
New Delhi: At a time when the bilateral relations between India and Nepal have hit hurdles in more ways than one, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of Independence Day on Saturday "received a telephone call" from his Nepalese counterpart K P Sharma Oli.
"The Prime Minister of Nepal greeted the Government and People of India on the occasion of its 74th Independence Day, and also conveyed congratulations for India’s recent election as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council," an MEA source said.
Both the leaders "expressed mutual solidarity" in the context of the efforts being made to minimise
the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in both countries.
Mr Modi also offered India’s "continued support" to Nepal in this regard.
Mr Modi thanked the Prime Minister of Nepal for his telephone call and recalled the "civilizational and cultural links that India and Nepal share", the source said.
Nepali Prime Minister's tele call to his Indian counterpart comes against the backdrop of ongoing
power struggle within the ruling Nepal Communist Party.
Prime Minister Oli has also lately 'twice' tried to trigger a fresh row over Lord Ram’s birthplace.
He has been insisting that God Ram was born in south Nepal’s Ayodhyapuri and not Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh in India.
Nepal’s Parliament had also in May passed a constitutional amendment to give legal backing to a
map depicting disputed areas such as Lipulekh as Nepalese territory.
India on May 20 flayed the Nepal government for what it said trying to lay claims
on "artificial enlargement" of territory and asserted such moves will not be accepted by India.
"The Government of Nepal has released a revised official map of Nepal today that includes parts of Indian territory. This unilateral act is not based on historical facts and evidence," MEA spokesman Anurag Srivastava has told reporters in reply to a question.
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