Pak passes Bill to allow Jadhav right to appeal

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 11

Pakistan’s National Assembly on Thursday passed a Bill providing the right of appeal against the death verdict by a military court to former Indian naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav.

In line with ICJ verdict

• India has requested Pak over a dozen times for ‘unimpeded’ consular access to former naval officer, who has been on death row since 2017
• In 2019, International Court of Justice had asked Islamabad to provide Jadhav a proper forum for appeal

The Pakistan Assembly passed the ICJ (Review and Re-consideration) Bill aimed at allowing Jadhav consular access in line with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) verdict. The government was regularising an ordinance proclaimed in May with precisely these objectives.

Pakistan Law Minister Farogh Nasim said had the Bill not been passed, India would have gone to the UN Security Council and could have moved contempt proceedings against Pakistan in the ICJ.