Hearing in Kulbhushan Jadhav case at ICJ to resume from February 18

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said that the hearing in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case will resume before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague from February 18.

It may be recalled that 48-year-old Jadhav was awarded capital punishment in April 2017 by a Pakistani military court. He was given the death sentence on charges of espionage and terrorism.

The Indian government moved the ICJ in May 2017 against the verdict. On May 18, 2017, Pakistan was directed by a 10-member bench of the ICJ to not execute Jadhav till adjudication of the case.

Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar preferred not to reveal details of the hearing. "The oral proceedings on the International Court of Justice are commencing on February 18. India will present its case before the court. Since the matter is subjudice it is not appropriate for me to state our position in public.Whatever we have to do, we will do at the court," Kumar told PTI.

According to the ICJ website, the public hearings in Jadhav case will be held from Monday 18 to Thursday 21 February, 2019. The ICJ is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.

Pakistan claims that Jadhav was arrested by its security forces on March 3, 2016 from Balochistan province after he sneaked inside Pakistan from Iran.
But India has repeatedly maintained that Pakistan had kidnapped Jadhav from Iran where he had business interests. 

(with PTI inputs)