‘Victory for Pakistan’: Country’s PM, FM vow to stay the course on Indian ‘spy’ execution

Pakistan’s PM Imran Khan said his government will proceed “as per law” in the case of a retired Indian Navy commander facing the death penalty in his country, despite the ICJ ordering an “effective review and reconsideration.”

“Appreciate ICJ’s decision not to acquit, release & return Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav to India,” Khan tweeted on Wednesday evening. “He is guilty of crimes against the people of Pakistan. Pakistan shall proceed further as per law.”

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Wednesday ordered Pakistan to stay the execution of former Indian Navy commander Kulbhushan Jadhav, convicted of espionage and sabotage by Pakistan in 2017.

However, the ICJ rejected India’s proposed annulment of the military court’s decision convicting Jadhav, as well as his release and safe passage to India.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi claimed it as “a victory for Pakistan.”

Many expressed anger and outrage at the entire situation, citing irregularities with how the case was handled. 

“When a woman accuses [a] man of rape in your country, she has to produce 4 witnesses. But in Kulbhushan’s case, you didn’t produce even one witness,”wrote one irate Twitter user from India. 

Another commenter suggested that Khan was “trying to influence the judiciary,” arguing that instead the case should be “decided by a court of law based on evidence not by the executive.”

According to Islamabad’s account of events, Jadhav, 49, was arrested by Pakistani security forces when he entered Balochistan from Iran on March 3, 2016. 

Pakistan notified India’s high commissioner in Islamabad of Jadhav’s arrest on March 25, 2016. 

Jadhav was later sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on April 11, 2017.

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