ICJ can't annul Jadhav's death sentence: Sartaj Aziz

Adviser on foreign affairs says India’s stance that Pakistan was defeated by the recent ICJ's verdict was...

Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on Saturday said the International Court for Justice (ICJ) cannot nullify Indian spy Kulbushan Jadhav's death sentence.

“Jhadav had confessed to carrying out terrorist activities inside Pakistan and was a naval officer using a fake passport. He was sentenced according to the country’s law,” Aziz said while addressing the media in Islamabad.



Jadhav was arrested in a counter-intelligence raid in Mashkel, Balochistan in March 2016. In a video confession released soon after, he confessed to being assigned by India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) to plan, coordinate and organise espionage and sabotage activities in Balochistan and Karachi with an aim to destabilise and wage war against Pakistan. He was convicted last month by a military court and sentenced to death.

The adviser said India’s stance that Pakistan was defeated by the recent International Court of Justice (ICJ) verdict was inaccurate. “A wrong impression was created by Indian media that Pakistan has lost the case,” Aziz added.



Responding to a question as to why no judge was sent on the day of ICJ’s hearing, he said the government could not appoint one within a short notice of five days.

“We will go with a strong team in the next hearing,” Aziz said adding that even if Pakistan had chosen an ad hoc judge, the ICJ’s verdict would not have changed.

The United Nations’ top court recently ordered a stay in the execution of Jadhav. Judges at the ICJ ruled that Jadhav must not be put to death by Islamabad until they have had time to pass final judgement in the case.