Pakistan to forcefully defend its position at ICJ in Kulbhushan Jadhav case: Pak official

Islamabad: Pakistan will forcefully defend its position in the Kulbhshan Jadhav case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on June 8, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said on Tuesday.

The speaker chaired a meeting of Parliamentary Committee for National Security where Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf Ali and Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua briefed parliamentarians from different parties on the issue of Indian national Jadhav.

The lawmakers were told that the legal team was working on the case and will present its case with full vigour at the next hearing of the ICJ.

The government also came under criticism from the Opposition parliamentarians for the "poor handling" of the case at the court.

The lawmaker were informed that the Attorney General will also be part of the legal team that will plead Pakistan's case at the ICJ against Jadhav.

The speaker later told media that Pakistan will pursue Jadhav's case at the ICJ with full preparation on June 8.

Ayaz also said that all members of the parliamentary committee discussed the case beyond their political affiliation.

He said the next meeting of the committee on the issue will be held on May 30 when the judicial process of the case will be discussed in more details.

Jadhav, 46, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of "involvement in espionage and sabotage activities" against the country.

The ICJ on May 18 stayed the execution of Jadhav and also endorsed Indian request for consular access to him.

The Pakistan government has come under a lot of criticism for its "mishandling" of the case at ICJ.

Jadhav's case is the latest flash-point in the tensions between Pakistan and India. The two countries last faced off at the ICJ 18 years ago when Islamabad sought its intervention over the shooting down of its naval aircraft.