Charge d’ Affaires at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad Gaurav Ahluwalia met Jadhav after Pakistan granted consular access to the retired Indian Navy officer following a directive from the International Court of Justice. 

“While we await a comprehensive report, it was clear that Jadhav appeared to be under extreme pressure to parrot a false narrative to bolster Pakistan’s untenable claims,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

“We will decide a further course of action after receiving a detailed report from our Charge d’ Affaires and determining the extent of conformity to the ICJ directives,” he added.

Kumar said Monday’s consular access is a part of the “binding obligations” of Pakistan as ordered by the ICJ to make sure effective review and reconsideration of the conviction and sentence awarded to Jadhav through a “farcical process”.He said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has spoken to Jadhav’s mother and briefed her about the latest developments.

“The government remains committed to continue to work towards ensuring that Jadhav receives justice at the earliest and returns safely to India,” Kumar said. Jadhav, a retired Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism in April 2017. Weeks later, 

India approached the ICJ against Pakistan for denial of consular access to Jadhav and to challenge the death sentence.In its verdict in the case on July 17, the ICJ ordered Pakistan to undertake an “effective” review of the conviction and sentence of Jadhav and asked it to grant consular access to him now.

“The matter of denial of consular access was taken to ICJ by India. The court gave a unanimous decision in favour of India. Today, after victory in the ICJ, India will be proceeding for consular access to Jadhav,” said the source. 

On August 1, Pakistan Foreign Office said Jadhav will be granted consular access the next day. However, India did not accept the offer due to certain conditions put by Islamabad for the meeting.

One of the conditions was the presence of a Pakistani official when Jadhav is allowed to meet Indian officials as part of the consular access. India did not agree to the condition, saying the access must be “unimpeded” and in the spirit of the ICJ judgement.

The fresh offer for consular access to Jadhav came in the midst of spiralling tensions between the two countries after India withdrew Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and bifurcated it into two union territories.

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In a statement released post midnight, the Pakistan foreign office said it has informed Jadhav of his rights to consular access under the Vienna Convention.

However, the statement said that Pakistan will grant consular access to Jadhav “according to Pakistani laws”.

“As a responsible state, Pakistan will grant consular access to Commander Kulbushan Jadhav according to Pakistani laws, for which modalities are being worked out,” it said.

The move comes after the ICJ rapped Islamabad for continually denying Jadhav, incarcerated in a military jail in an unknown location in Pakistan, consular access in accordance with the Vienna Convention.

India on Thursday had asked Pakistan to “act immediately” on the ICJ verdict and grant consular access to Jadhav.

The ICJ has directed Pakistan for continued stay on the death sentence of Jadhav and to provide him consular access. Pakistan had refused to allow Indian officials to meet Jadhav ever since his “arrest” in March 2016 for alleged espionage. India had approached the ICJ after he was in April 2017 sentenced to death by a military court.

Islamabad’s move comes ahead of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Washington, where he is to meet President Donald Trump at the White House on July 22.

Pakistan also arrested Mumbai attacks mastermind and Jamat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed on Wednesday, in another move ahead of the Imran-Trump meeting.

While acceding to the ICJ ruling on Jadhav, Pakistan has maintained that it will “proceed as per law”.

The Foreign Office said after the ICJ ruling: “Having heard the judgment, Pakistan will now proceed as per law”, which was also echoed by Imran Khan in his tweet on Thursday.

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