Kulbhushan Jadhav case: PM Modi, Congress hail ICJ's stay on his execution

India expresses hope that Pakistan would respect the ICJ interim order

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Congress party welcomed the International Court of Justice (ICJ) order staying the execution of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav and expressed hope that Pakistan would respect the ICJ interim order.

India had approached the ICJ after a Pakistan military court recently ordered execution of Jadhav, a 46 year old former Navy officer, over allegations of espionage and subversive activities. The case renewed tensions between both the countries as passionate appeals were made in India to save Jadhav.

While thanking External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, PM Modi expressed satisfaction over the development and also appreciated the efforts of advocate Harish Salve, who represented India at the ICJ in The Hague, Netherlands. "The ICJ order has come as a great relief to the family of Kulbhushan Jadhav and people of India," Swaraj tweeted.

According to the ICJ, India should have been granted consular access to Jadhav as per the Vienna Convention, which both the countries had signed in 1977. ICJ asserted its jurisdiction over the Jadhav case and noted that the circumstances of his arrest remain disputed. Pakistan claims it arrested Jadhav from the troubled Balochistan province on March 3, 2016, after he reportedly entered from Iran. India asserts Jadhav was running a business in Iran after retiring from Navy and was kidnapped by Pakistan authorities.

While Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma wanted an international pressure on Pakistan to respect the ICJ order, another party leader Manish Tewari urged the government to use the ICJ decision as a trigger to bring back Jadhav. "I assure the nation that under the leadership of PM Modi we will leave no stone unturned to save (him)," Swaraj further tweeted.

India had no option but to approach the ICJ as a military court in Pakistan had passed a unilateral order for Jadhav's execution and no legal help was provided to the former Navy official, said Sharma.

Offering a piece of advice to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre, the former union minister said the government must convey to Pakistan that its claim that Jadhav was involved in terror activities holds no ground after the ICJ order.

Congress Spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who is also a senior Supreme Court lawyer, hailed the ICJ judgment saying it was unanimous despite 11 judges of different nationalities hearing the case and forging consensus on a difficult issue.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad too hailed the ICJ order.

In Mumbai, Jadhav's home town, his friends and well-wishers celebrated the ICJ order by bursting fire crackers in Lower Parel area. His neighbours at Jadhav's Silver Oak apartment building in Powai area shouted slogans of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' and 'Vande Mataram'.

Meanwhile, in Islamabad, Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesman Nafees Zakaria said India has been "trying to hide its real face" by taking Jadhav's case to the ICJ and added his country does not accept the global court's jurisdiction in matters related to national security.