Jadhav case: Do not accept ICJ's jurisdiction in national security matter, says Pak

Islamabad: Pakistan does not accept the International Court of Justice's jurisdiction in matters related to national security, its Foreign Office said on Thursday after the UN court stayed the execution of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav.

Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria also hit out at India, saying the country has been "trying to hide its real face" by taking the case of Jadhav to ICJ.

Jadhav, 46, was sentenced to death in March by a Pakistani military court and India approached the highest UN judicial body with the plea to stay his execution.

The Hague-based ICJ heard the two sides on Monday where Pakistan had challenged the jurisdiction of the court but in its decision the court prime facie exercised the jurisdiction and accepted Indian pleas.

The court today instructed Pakistan to take all "necessary measures at its disposal" to ensure that Jadhav was not executed pending a final decision by it.

Pakistan was in shock as it was confident that the ICJ will throw out the case on the grounds of jurisdiction.

Talking to the state-run Pakistan Television after the ruling was delivered, Zakaria said India has been "trying to hide its real face" by taking the case of Jadhav to ICJ.

"The real face of India will be exposed before the world," he said, adding that Jadhav has confessed his crimes of sabotage, terrorism and subversion activities not only once but twice.

He said Pakistan has already informed the ICJ that it does not accept its jurisdiction in matters related to the national security.

"We do not accept the jurisdiction of the ICJ in matters related to the national security of the country," he was quoted as saying by the Dunya TV.

However, he said Pakistan "will present solid evidence against the Indian spy in the International Court.

Earlier, Zakaria said at the weekly press briefing said India was trying to portray Jadhav's case "as a humanitarian issue to divert the world's attention from his role in fomenting terrorism" inside Pakistan.

"After India stood exposed in state sponsored terrorism and financing terrorism, it tried to divert attention from presenting the Kulbushan Jadhav case with a humanitarian angle," he said.

He said Pakistan's position was clear as it was a matter of national security. He said Pakistan’s reply to ICJ was in line with Article 36 (2) of the Vienna Convention that Pakistan does not recognise the jurisdiction of the ICJ in this case.