ISLAMABAD – Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said on Wednesday that Islamabad was still reviewing India’s position on Pakistan’s decision to execute Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav.
Talking to newsmen in the capital, he said India had approached the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Jadhav’s execution, and that Pakistan was in the process of reviewing its stand, after which a formal response would be given soon.
Mr Aziz said the government was also ascertaining whether the matter fell within the domain of ICJ or not.
The ICJ has asked the government of Pakistan to stay the execution of Jadhav after India moved the international court, accusing Islamabad of denying consular access to the Indian spy under the Geneva Convention.
According to statements released from The Hague, the ICJ will begin public hearings in the matter from Monday, May 15.
“The hearings will be devoted to the request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by India,” said a statement released by ICJ on Wednesday night.
An earlier statement said that ICJ President Judge Ronny Abraham had “addressed [on Tuesday] an urgent communication to the prime minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan” which asked for Jadhav’s sentence to be stayed.
Pakistan military’s media said on Wednesday that Jadhav had been convicted in accordance with the law of the land and that the legal process was under way.
“He offered no comments on the ICJ decision and said the Foreign Office would respond to the international court’s missive,” military spokesperson Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor said.
In his remarks on Wednesday, Sartaj Aziz also disclosed that a Pak-Iran border commission had been formed and would hold its first meeting within a month. He said the commission consisted of four members from each country.
“Smugglers and other elements are present along the Pak-Iran border,” Aziz said, explaining that border issues between the two countries were not limited to terrorism. Regarding the latest turbulence in relationship between Pakistan and Iran, Afghanistan, Aziz clarified that the two countries were not Pakistan’s enemies.
