Disinformation is perhaps the oldest and effective steroid some countries give people to pump up enthusiasm and benighted devotion and jingoism.
The Jadhav’s execution case in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is pending as the provisional verdict asks Pakistan to stay the execution until consular access has been given to the spy.
Nonetheless, while it is too early to draw conclusions and declare ‘victories’, a vilification campaign against Pakistan’s counsel Khawar Qureshi seems to be accusing him of corruption and deliberately losing the case against India while also charging ‘too much’ for defending his country.
Earlier, Indian media had ‘disclosed’ the verdict beforehand. Citing ‘sources’ from the Hague, Indian journalists revealed the verdict which turned out to be exactly what the jury had decided.
Without citing any reference, some questionable tabloids in India are alleging that the Barrister Khawar Qureshi has been working for India in the past, insinuating that he lost the case deliberately while also charged ‘exorbitant’ fee from Pakistan.
Indian publications have run articles about Qureshi’s personal and professional life, claiming his cases in the past were a failure and fleeting with corruption and misconduct. Despite the fact that that there is no evidence or source to substantiate these claims, social media is buzzing with memes bashing the barrister.
Talking to a private TV channel, Qureshi said on Friday that Indian nationals behind such baseless propaganda may have government backing.
“My fees were not even 10 percent of what the Indian propaganda suggests. I cancelled another professional commitment with another government to travel to Pakistan urgently,” Qureshi said.
“I gave a 30 per cent reduction on my fees, besides covering the cost of two of my juniors’ fees,” he added.
Basic background of Khawar Qureshi
Khawar Qureshi, who is fighting for Pakistan at the International Court of Justice, is a QC at Serle Court Chambers and McNair Chambers Qatar.
Qureshi has taken on numerous cases before English courts and has also appeared before International Arbitral Tribunals, advising on matters involving at least 80 different jurisdictions.
According to his website, Khawar was called to the Bar (Queen Mother’s Scholar, Middle Temple) in 1990 and took Silk in 2006. In 1993 he was the youngest advocate to have appeared in the International Court of Justice.
His stint at ICJ is not his first. In fact, in 1993, he was the youngest lawyer to have appeared in the ICJ as counsel for Bosnia in the Genocide case against (the then) Yugoslavia.
Khawar has made extensive appearances in the English Court at all levels, and in many international arbitration/commercial matters for and against more than 60 governments. He was an “A” Panel UK Government Treasury Counsel from 1999-2006. Khawar has been Chairman of TheCityUK Legal Services group which is designated by the UK Ministry of Justice as the lead organisation to promote UK legal services internationally.
Qureshi has taught Commercial Law at Cambridge University, Public International Law at Kings London and was appointed a visiting professor in Commercial Law at the University of London in 2006. He was appointed a Deputy High Court Judge in 2013 and is a bencher of Middle Temple.
