Indian citizen Kulbhushan Jadhav, who has been lodged in a Pakistani jail since March 2016 on spying charges, was denied the right to appeal despite the 2019 ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) granting him consular access.
According to reports, in June 2019, the ICJ ruled in India's favour, affirming Jadhav's right to consular access and calling on Pakistan to review and reconsider his conviction and death sentence.
Kulbhushan Jadhav's case was mentioned by Pakistan's Defence Ministry lawyer, Khawaja Haris Ahmed, on Wednesday during a Supreme Court hearing related to Pakistani citizens convicted by military courts for protesting against the arrest of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in May 2023.
Haris Ahmed submitted before the court that the right to appeal, which was made available to Mr Jadhav, was not extended to Pakistan's own citizens convicted in the May 2023 riot cases.
According to a report by the Pakistani daily Dawn, the Supreme Court of Pakistan was informed that Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan needed a couple of days' time as he was busy preparing to file his response on whether the right to appeal should be granted to the riot convicts.
India's stand on the Kulbhushan Jadhav case has been that he was kidnapped from the Iranian port of Chabahar, where he had business interests after his retirement. India has rejected the espionage charges against him.
In its ruling, the ICJ suspended Jadhav's execution until Pakistan effectively reviews and reconsiders his conviction and sentence.
