Pakistan to file fresh rejoinder in Jadhav case by July 17, says report

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is set to file a fresh rejoinder on or before July 17 in Kulbhushan Jadhav’s case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) following the submission of a rejoinder by New Delhi to Islamabad’s counter-memorial, according to a media report on Thursday.

The office of Pakistan’s attorney general, which is overseeing the case, is expected to receive a copy of India’s rejoinder in a day or two, after it is received by the Pakistan embassy in The Hague, the Dawn newspaper reported.

On December 13 last year, Pakistan filed its counter-memorial at the ICJ in response to India’s memorial or formal submission.

On May 18, 2017, the ICJ had stayed Jadhav’s execution through an interim order. Following this, the Foreign Office communicated to ICJ that the Pakistan government had instructed relevant departments to give effect to the world court’s order.

Khawar Qureshi, who pleaded Pakistan’s case in the initial stages, is expected to plead it again when it comes up for hearing.

In its written submission, India accused Pakistan of violating the Vienna Convention by not granting consular access to Jadhav. India argued that the convention does not state that such access would not be available to an individual arrested on charges of espionage, the report said.

In response, Pakistan said in its counter-memorial at the ICJ that the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963 applied only to legitimate visitors and did not cover clandestine operations. Pakistan alleged Jadhav was on active duty and the only deduction that one could make was that he was a spy sent to Pakistan to carry out “subversive activities”.