Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif. File photo
Islamabad, May 10
Pakistan on Wednesday accused India of using its national Kulbhushan Jadhav’s death conviction to “divert” attention from its “state-sponsored” terrorism in the country.Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif’s allegation against India came a day after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) stayed the execution of 46-year-old Jadhav, who has been sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of “spying”.
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“Indian letter to ICJ attempt to divert attention from state sponsored terrorism in Pakistan. Kulbhushan convicted of offences against national security,” Asif tweeted.It was the first response from Pakistan after the order by the Hague-based ICJ.The order by the ICJ came a day after India approached it against the death sentence handed down to Jadhav by Pakistan’s Field General Court Martial last month.Earlier, Pakistan’s media rejected India’s claim over the order. Geo TV said the ICJ had no jurisdiction over Pakistan as it could take cognizance of the matter only with the consent of the parties.Dawn online did not report about the Indian claim on the stay order. Similarly, the Express Tribune in its report on the issue has not reported about the stay order.India, in its appeal to the ICJ, accused Pakistan of “egregious” violations of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and asserted that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he was involved in business activities after retiring from the Indian Navy but Pakistan claimed to have arrested him from Balochistan on March 3, 2016.Jadhav’s sentencing evoked a sharp reaction in India.India has warned Pakistan of consequences and damage to bilateral ties if the “pre-meditated murder” was carried out.In its application, India had also informed the ICJ that it learnt about the death sentence against Jadhav from a press release.Jadhav was sentenced to death for “espionage and subversive activities”.India acknowledges that Jadhav had served with the Navy but denies that he has any connection with the government. It also said that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran.India has also handed over to Pakistan an appeal by Jadhav’s mother, initiating a process to get his conviction overturned. PTI
AIFF website hacked, message against Jadhav’s release posted
New Delhi, May 10
The All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) website on Tuesday was hacked by an anonymous group called ‘Zero Cool’.
The group hacked the website and posted a message provoking India over Kulbhushan Jadhav, an Indian national booked for espionage and sabotage activities against Pakistan. Jadhav was awarded death sentence by the country.
The hackers posted messages against India and its demand for the release of Kulbhushan Jadhav.
The AIFF has not yet released a statement on this.
Jadhav was arrested in March last year in the restive Balochistan province and was accused of being a Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agent.
However, in a major relief to India, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has put a stay on the execution after an appeal by India, which accused Pakistan of “egregious violations of the Vienna Convention” and sought a stay on Jadhav’s death sentence. — ANI
Nawaz Sharif meets Army chief amid stay on Jadhav hanging
Islamabad, May 10
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Wednesday held a meeting amid the stay order from the International Court of Justice against the hanging of Indian “spy” Kulbushan Jadhav.The meeting between Bajwa and Sharif was the second within a week and is significant in the light of the prevailing civil-military relations in the country.Sources, quoted by Geo News, said that the Prime Minister was briefed on the ICJ order.Gen Bajwa was accompanied by Director General Inter-Services Intelligence Lt. Gen Naveed Mukhtar while Finance Minister Ishaq Dar was also present at the meeting.Reacting to the stay order, Foreign Affairs Advisor to the Prime Minister Sartaj Aziz here said: “We are analysing the Indian petition and the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) authority (on the case).” Earlier, Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said, India’s decision to move the ICJ to halt the death sentence awarded to Jadhav was an attempt to divert attention from “state-sponsored terrorism in Pakistan”.The ICJ on Tuesday told Pakistan not to hang Jadhav, sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of promoting terrorism in its territory and spying for India.Asif tweeted: “Indian letter to ICJ attempt to divert attention from state-sponsored terrorism in Pakistan. Kulbushan convicted of offences against national security.” — IANS