Kulbhushan Jadhav given death sentence in ‘opaque trial’, should be released: India to ICJ

The Hague: India on Monday told the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that its national Kulbhushan Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court in an “opaque trial” and should be forthwith released by Pakistan for violation of Vienna Convention on consular access.
“India submits that Pakistan has egregiously violated Article 36 of the Vienna Convention and demands that Jadhav be released forthwith,” Indian Advocate Harish Salve argued before the world court.
Seeking reversal of his conviction, Salve submitted that Pakistan by not apprising Jadhav, a former Indian Navy officer, of his rights has violated the Vienna Convention.
Since Pakistan is one of the States which exercises death penalty to foreign nationals, the State should make sure that Jadhav should be informed of his rights and more importantly allowed consular access since “death penalty is irreparable”, he said.
While pointing to violations of the Vienna Convention, the Indian advocate said that Pakistan had also not complied with the provisions of the 2008 bilateral agreement with India.
Jadhav is being used as a pawn by Pakistan to build a narrative against India, Salve said as the ICJ started a four-day public hearing in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case.