Pak will proceed 'as per law' in Jadhav case: FO after ICJ verdict

Pakistan on Wednesday said it will now proceed "as per law" in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case after the International Court of Justice ruled that it must review the death sentence for the Indian national who has been sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of "espionage and terrorism". The Foreign Office in a statement said Pakistan as a "responsible member" of the international community "upheld its commitment" from the very beginning of the case by appearing before the court for the provisional measures hearing despite a very short notice.

"Having heard the judgment, Pakistan will now proceed as per law," the statement said. The statement claimed that the Hague-based ICJ in its judgment did not accept India's plea to "acquit/release" Jadhav.

The ICJ bench headed by Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf ordered an "effective review and reconsideration" of the conviction and sentence of Jadhav. Jadhav, 49, a retired Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by the Pakistani military court on charges of "espionage and terrorism" after a closed trial in April 2017. His sentencing evoked a sharp reaction in India following which New Delhi moved the world court.