Islamabad Court forms larger bench on Kulbhushan Jadhav Case

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has formed a larger bench to hear Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav, who is on death row in Pakistan, after India’s diplomatic pressure.

The larger bench comprising IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Mian Gull Hassan Aurangzeb will hear the case on September 3.

The Court’s decision came after India’s continuous pressure on Pakistan into allowing consular access to Jadhav.

Meanwhile, the Imran Khan government has claimed that it has contacted the Indian government over the matter of appointing a legal representative for Kulbhushan Jadhav.

The Pakistan media has reported that Islamabad Court has allowed Indian officials to present their stance. However, India’s Ministry of External Affairs reported of receiving no such comments.

“We have not received any communication from the Pakistan government in this regard,” said Anurag Srivastava, MEA spokesperson.

In July, India reported that Pakistan has blocked all avenues available to it in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case.

Pakistan claims that Jadhav was arrested from Balochistan in 2016 on charges of espionage. India has rejected any such allegations and said Jadhav was kidnapped from the Iranian port of Chabahar. In early 2017, a Pakistani military court sentenced him to death.

In July last year, International Court of Justice upheld India’s claim that Pakistan has committed an egregious violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations on several counts.