Kulbhushan Jadhav row: International Court of Justice stays former naval officer's hanging by Pakistan

The International Court of Justice has stayed the hanging of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav, who was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of “spying”, reports said. [caption id=“attachment_3434314” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] A screengrab of Kulbhushan Jadhav. Image courtesy: YouTube[/caption] According to PTI, the Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) stayed his execution following India’s submission that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he was involved in business after retiring from the Navy. Jadhav was given death sentence last month by the Field General Court Martial in Pakistan, evoking a sharp reaction in India which warned Pakistan of consequences and damage to bilateral ties if the “pre-meditated murder” was carried out. India acknowledges that Jadhav had served with the Navy but denies that he has any connection with the government. Jadhav, a 1991 commissioned naval officer, was arrested in March 2016 by Pakistan authorities on the charges that he was dealing with Balochistan freedom fighters. The allegation was that Jadhav, who retired in 2013, was an active Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agent, a charge denied by India. RAW is the primary foreign intelligence agency of India. The Pakistani intelligence agency ISI’s public relations department issued a statement confirming the news. A military court sentenced him to death on 10 April. India has sought consular access 15 times but Pakistan has denied it every time. Indian authorities say they have not been informed about the whereabouts of Jadhav or the condition he is in. India had said that if the death sentence is carried out, it would be considered a case of pre-meditated murder. — With inputs from PTI