Kulbhushan Jadhav consular access: Pakistan has finally relented and has announced that it will provide consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav.
Pakistan on Sunday said that it will provide consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav on Monday (September 2). Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the consular access will be provided "...in line with Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, International Court of Justice (ICJ) judgement & the laws of Pakistan." The ministry was quoted by news agency ANI.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) recently ordered Pakistan to provide consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav.
Kulbhushan Jadhav is currently in the custody of Pakistan. It has accused Jadhav of espionage and terrorism.
Jadhav was pronounced a death sentence after an opaque, closed-door trial by a military court in Pakistan.
India has refuted all charges that Jadhav was a spy. Pakistan has, in past, been adamant on not providing consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav.
India then dragged Pakistan in front of International Court of Justice (ICJ).
On July 17, ICJ ordered in favour of Indian contention and ordered Pakistan to grant consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav.
The ICJ upheld India's stand that Pakistan had "breached" the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations, which gives countries the right to consular access when their nationals are arrested abroad. ICJ also asked Pakistan to undertake an "effective review and reconsideration" of the conviction and sentence of Jadhav and also to grant consular access to India without further delay.
Even then Pakistan was reluctant to make a concrete announcement as to when the consular access will be granted.
Watch | Pakistan grants consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav
