India rejects Pak terms on consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav

New Delhi: India on Friday rejected Pakistani terms and conditions for consular access to imprisoned former Indian naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav, with New Delhi telling Islamabad through diplomatic channels “to provide unimpeded consular access” to Jadhav “in an environment free from the fear of intimidation and reprisal, in the light of the orders of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

New Delhi is awaiting Islamabad’s response now, sources said. Pakistan had reportedly placed two conditions — the first being presence of a Pakistani official at the proposed meeting and the second being the presence of CCTV cameras in the room where the meeting would take place. Islamabad had also reportedly suggested that the meeting take place at about 3.30 pm (3 pm Pakistan time) on Friday but now will have to first come up with a response to New Delhi.

Quite clearly, New Delhi feels that the Pakistani terms and conditions imposed are an “impediment” that is not in line with the ICJ verdict and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations as these conditions would result in the intimidation of Jadhav at the meeting and leave him vulnerable to reprisals in Pakistani custody.

Sources on Friday said, “Pakistan has been asked yesterday to provide unimpeded consular access to Mr. Kulbhushan Jadhav, in an environment free from the fear of intimidation and reprisal, in the light of the orders of the ICJ. Their (Pakistani) response in now awaited.”

New Delhi had on Thursday only confirmed that it had received a Pakistani proposal to provide consular access and had said it was “evaluating the proposal in the light of the judgement of the ICJ”.

Pakistan had reportedly proposed consular access in an offer made about four days ago.

India had last week said it expected “full consular access” to Jadhav in line with the ICJ verdict, thereby indicating that New Delhi wants to play strictly by the book and does not want any deviation by Pakistan from the norms of consular access as laid down in the Vienna Convention.

Mr. Jadhav had been handed a death penalty in Pakistan in April, 2017, by a military court there on charges of espionage and sabotage. New Delhi had dismissed the Pakistani charges.

The ICJ in its verdict on July 17 this year had slammed Pakistan for not granting India consular access to Jadhav in violation of the Vienna Convention.