Kulbhushan case: Pakistan should clear Indian misgivings, says IHC

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Thursday told the counsel for Indian High Commission that it was not crossing its jurisdiction, instead it was attempting to ensure implementation of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) verdict.

The IHC bench clubbed Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav case with a plea of Indian High Commission, seeking to dispose of case pertaining to four Indian prisoners.

The Indian High Commission had adopted the stance in its plea that Pakistan court had no jurisdiction to hear the matter of spy Kulbhushan Jadhav case. The bench directed the Foreign Office of Pakistan to again contact the Indian government on the matter. It also directed the additional attorney general (AAG) to play its role in clearing the misunderstanding of Indian High Commission regarding court’s jurisdiction in Jadhav case.

The lawyer for Indian High Commission, Barrister Shahnawaz Noon, contended that four Indian prisoners had been released and now the petition had become ineffective.

The court asked the lawyer’s stance in Jadhav case and observed that there was no question of jurisdiction and exemption before the bench. The court said the matter was related to implementation of the decision of International Court of Justice (ICJ). “May be there was any misunderstanding to Indian government in this matter,” the bench remarked.

It seemed that India could not understand the proceeding of this court, the bench added. Chief Justice Athar Minallah observed that no doubt India was a sovereign state and it should be respected. The bench ordered to club the India plea with Kulbhushan Jadhav case and adjourned hearing of the case till May 5. The Ministry of Law and Justice had filed an application in the IHC seeking appointment of a lawyer for Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav to contest appeal against his death sentence in the light of the decision of ICJ.