Indian reps can’t meet Kulbhushan alone, IHC told

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Tuesday allowed India more time to appoint a lawyer to represent death-row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav in the court to hear a review of his conviction and sentencing by a military court.

Jadhav, a 51-year-old Indian Navy officer and undercover RAW operative, was sentenced to death by a military court for espionage and terrorism in April 2017. On Tuesday, a three-judge bench of the court, comprising Chief Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, heard the case by the law ministry regarding designating a lawyer for Jadhav, reports the Indian media.

Attorney General for Pakistan Khalid Javed Khan informed the court about an order passed on May 5 asking the authorities to make one more effort to contact India for appointment of a counsel. He informed the court that the message was conveyed to India but there had been no response so far.

Khan also told the court that India wanted consular access to Jadhav in a separate room, but the authorities cannot take the risk of leaving him alone with Indian representatives. He claimed Pakistan was making efforts for a complete implementation on the decision of review and reconsideration of the ICJ, but India was creating hurdles.