SAEED SPEECH INVITES GOVT IRE

NEWDELHI: India has registered a strong protest with Islamabad over a speech by Lashkar-e-taiba founder Hafiz Saeed on the occasion of Kashmir Solidarity Day that advocated terror and violence against India, people familiar with developments said on Friday.

The external affairs ministry registered the protest through a note verbale – an informal, unsigned form of diplomatic correspondence – that was sent to the Pakistan high commission in New Delhi on February 6.

It referred to Pakistani media reports of a speech by Saeed, who was described as a Un-designated terrorist and head of the Jamaat-uddawah, on February 5 that advocated “terror and violence against India”, people quoted above said.

Registering a strong protest at the “continued use of Pakistan-controlled territory by extremist and terrorist elements to freely propagate and promote violence and terror against India”, the note asked Pakistan to abide by its international obligations and bilateral commitment to “not allow any territory under its control to be used for terrorism against India, in any manner”, the people said.

February 18 to 21, India and Pakistan will be allowed to make two rounds of oral arguments each over the four days.

Pakistan has rejected India’s repeated demands for consular access to Jadhav, claiming that he an spy and that the Vienna Convention didn’t apply to him.

Sanjay Hegde, a senior advocate of the Supreme Court of India, said if ICJ makes a declaration in India’s favour, it would be up to Pakistan to again conduct Jadhav’s trial. “The problem is there is no enforcement mechanism for ICJ judgements though states are expected to comply with them,” he said.