Pakistan govt moves court to appoint legal counsel for Indian spy Kulbhushan

ISLAMABAD – The federal government on Wednesday moved the Islamabad High Court to appoint a legal representative for Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav, who has been awarded death sentence by a Pakistani military court over espionage.

The facility of legal consul is being provided to the death-row convict in the light of the International Court of Justice's July 17, 2019 verdict following which the government had promulgated an International Court of Justice (Review and Reconsideration) Ordinance, 2020.

The petition has been filed by the Ministry of Law and Justice by making the federation, through the defense secretary and the Judge Advocate General (JAG) branch of General Headquarters (GHQ), a party in the case.

The petition states that Jadhav has refused to file a petition against his sentence, adding that India is reluctant to cooperate in the matter as a lawyer cannot be appointed without New Delhi’s assistance.

On July 17, Pakistan had provided Jadhav consular access for a third time, after the second opportunity was not availed by the Indian diplomats in Islamabad.