By Prarthana Mitra
Pakistan government is hopeful about the conviction of alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which will hear the case in February 2019.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Thursday, “We have solid evidence against Jadhav and are hopeful we will win the case in the ICJ. Qureshi addressed reporters in Multan, saying, We will try our best to present our stance in an effective manner before the ICJ” which will hear Jadhavs case for a week in February 2019.
We will try to move forward under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan. The nation should be ready as we will have to take some bitter decisions, he said, hinting at his execution. Qureshi rakes up the case at a time when Khan has voiced his keenest desire to mend relations with India.
Here’s what happened
Jadhav was sentenced to death for espionage in April 2017 following which India moved the ICJ to intervene and stall the execution. A 10-member ICJ team began proceedings, preventing Pakistan from executing Jadhav until their verdict was out.
According to Pakistani authorities, Jadhav had illegally entered Pakistan in 2016, on his way from Iran, which is when he was apprehended and tried in a Pakistani military court. Pakistan stated that “Jadhav was not an ordinary person as he had entered the country with the intent of spying and carrying out sabotage activities” in Balochistan. India has denied all the charges to this date, maintaining that Jadhav was seized and taken forcibly to Pakistan.
Prarthana Mitra is a staff writer at Qrius