International Court of Justice stays Kulbhushan Jadhav's hanging

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has stayed the execution of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav who was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court for alleged spying. The Hague-based ICJ said, Pakistan must take all necessary measures to ensure that Jadhav is not executed. It also directed Pakistan to inform it about the action taken.

The official order by ICJ comes a day after India approached the court against the death sentence given to the former Naval officer. India, in its appeal, had said Pakistan was denying consular access to Jadhav, despite repeated requests, which is a violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.

It also said, Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran



where he was involved in business activities after retiring from the Indian Navy. Pakistan, however, claims to have arrested him from Balochistan.

India had also said, it was not informed of Jadhav's detention until long after his arrest and that Pakistan failed to inform the accused of his rights.After the ICJ order, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj spoke to Kulbhushan Jadhav's mother and informed her about the development.

46-year old Jadhav was given death sentence last month by the Field General Court Martial in Pakistan, evoking a sharp reaction in India which warned Pakistan of consequences and damage to bilateral ties if the execution was carried out.