Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday said that he appreciated the International Court of Justice’s decision “not to acquit, release and return Jadhav to India”.
Khan tweeted: “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.”
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.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) July 18, 2019
This tweet came hours later after the UN court had said that Kulbhushan Jadhav's death sentence "should remain suspended until Pakistan effectively reviews and reconsiders the conviction and sentence". The court also agreed with India's stand that Pakistan had violated the Vienna Convention by denying consular access to Jadhav after a "farcical" closed trial.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the verdict, and said that "truth and justice" had prevailed.
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.
