Describing the detention of retired Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav in Pakistan as “illegal” and under “fabricated” charges, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, on Thursday, urged Islamabad to release and repatriate him immediately. A bench led by the President of the Court Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf ordered an “effective review and reconsideration of the conviction and sentence of Mr. Kulbhushan Sudhir Jadhav”. The bench also ruled by 15 votes to 1 that Pakistan had violated India’s rights to consular visits after Mr. Jadhav’s arrest. Pakistan “deprived the Republic of India of the right to communicate with and have access to Mr. Kulbhushan Sudhir Jadhav, to visit him in detention and to arrange for his legal representation”, the judges had said. Pakistan was under the obligation to inform India about the arrest and detention of Mr. Jadhav under the Vienna Convention, Judge Yusuf had ruled.

Source: The Hindu July 18, 2019 06:45 UTC