ISLAMABAD: The IslamÂaÂbad High Court observed on Thursday that since convicted Indian spy KulbhuÂshan Jadhav is a human being, he cannot be denied the right to a fair trial.
In another development, the court called upon the Indian government to ask an official of its mission in Pakistan to attend hearings of the review petition filed against Jadhav’s conviction.
Jadhav, a 51-year-old retired Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism in April 2017. India approached the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Pakistan for denial of consular access to Jadhav and challenging the death sentence.
After hearing both sides, the Hague-based ICJ issued a verdict in July 2019, asking Pakistan to give India consular access to Jadhav and also ensure review of his conviction.
The Islamabad High Court formed a three-member larger bench comprising Chief Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb in August 2020 which has repeatedly asked India to nominate a lawyer from Pakistan for Jadhav but New Delhi so far refused by insisting that it should be given a chance to appoint an Indian lawyer.
(With inputs from agencies)
