Kulbhushan Jadhav (Photo Credit: Times Now)
New Delhi: Indian Government has issues with Pakistan not doing enough to give 'unhindered' consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav. But within Pakistan, there is a political row.
Federal Minister for Law and Justice Farogh Naseem has said that the Imran Khan regime has averted the Indian move to file a contempt petition before the International Court of Justice against Pakistan for non-compliance with the ICJ decision on Kulbhushan Jadhav.
Addressing a press conference on Friday in Islamabad, he said the bill passed by the joint sitting of parliament and related to Jadhav was not person-specific; rather, it was a national security issue, Dawn newspaper reported.
The parliament had passed the International Court of Justice (Review and Reconsideration) Bill, 2021, on Wednesday to provide for the right of review and reconsideration in the Jadhav case in line with the judgement of the ICJ.
"This was the red line for Pakistan. India would have gone to the ICJ and filed a contempt case against us if we have not enacted this law," the Law Minister said.
The opposition parties in Pakistan have slammed the Government.
"We will go to every forum against the election amendment bill while we will challenge it in the Supreme Court. The Government is forcefully showing its success but the joint opposition will challenge all bills including EVM, Kulbushan Jadhav and NRO in the Supreme Court (SC)," PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said.
India has already flayed Pakistan's double standards on the issue.
MEA spokesman Arindam Bagchi has said that Pakistan's 'new law' has hardly anything fresh to offer, and Islamabad "continues to deny unimpeded and unhindered" consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav.
"We have seen reports of Pakistan enacting into law the earlier ordinance that was ostensibly enacted to bring into effect the judgement of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case. Nothing could have been further from the truth," MEA spokesman Arindam Bagchi said here on Thursday.
He further said, "The new Law simply codifies the shortcomings of the previous ordinance."
"Pakistan continues to deny unimpeded and unhindered consular access to Shri Jadhav and has failed to create an atmosphere in which a fair trial can be conducted. India has repeatedly called upon Pakistan to abide by the letter and spirit of the ICJ judgement," Mr Bagchi said.
Kulbhushan Jadhav, a retired Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court in April 2017 on espionage. India outrightly rejected the allegation, and ICJ gave a stay to the military court's verdict and later slammed Pakistan in a detailed judgement in 2019.
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