Kulbhushan Jadhav case: Pakistan receives India's written pleadings to International Court of Justice

Islamabad: Pakistan said on Friday that it has received India’s written pleadings to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which is hearing the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav, a retired Indian Navy officer sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court for alleged espionage. India on Wednesday submitted its memorial (written pleadings) to the ICJ. [caption id=“attachment_3772157” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Kulbhushan Jadhav. PTI[/caption] The ICJ has suspended the death sentence of Jadhav pending final judgement by it after India moved the court in May, requesting immediate suspension of the sentence. “Pakistan has received the memorial (written pleadings) from the International Court of Justice, submitted by the Government of India” in Jadhav’s case, the Pakistan’s foreign office said in a statement. It said that the memorial is under consideration by a team of lawyers and experts, led by the Attorney General of Pakistan. The foreign office said that the position of Pakistan, “especially highlighting the acts of espionage, terrorism and sabotage committed” by Jadhav in Pakistan, “which resulted in the loss of many lives of Pakistanis”, would be submitted to the ICJ soon. Foreign office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said on Thursday that Pakistan would submit its response by 13 December. Pakistan claims to have arrested Jadhav from restive Balochistan in March last. However, India maintains that he was kidnapped from Iran where he had legal business interests after retiring from the navy. On 8 May, India moved the ICJ for instituting proceedings against Pakistan for violations of the Vienna Convention “in the matter of the detention and trial of an Indian National, Kulbhushan Sudhir Jadhav”, sentenced to death in Pakistan and requested immediate suspension of the sentence of death awarded to the accused. After discussing with both India and Pakistan, President of the ICJ Ronny Abraham asked India to make its submission by 13 September. He had also asked Islamabad to make its counter-submission by 13 December before the UN court starts hearing the matter.