ICJ ruling solidifies military courts Judgement: DG ISPR

KARACHI 18th July: Pakistan’s top military spokesperson has hailed the verdict by International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case, which rejected New Delhi’s plea to acquit and release the self-confessed Indian spy.

The international court also ordered Pakistan for “effective review and reconsideration of the conviction and sentence” and that Jadhav be allowed consular access.

The international court’s decision has declared India a terrorist state, Major General Asif Ghafoor, the Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), told a private news channel on Wednesday.
“They are certified to undertake state-sponsored terrorism… the world has seen what India’s role has been in Pakistan,” he said.
Commenting on Indians’ attempts to spin the verdict in their favour for face saving, Maj-Gen Ghafoor said, “I think it’s another February 27 for India… they have once again received the ‘surprise’.”

He said the Indian media once again didn’t show responsibility and announced self-claims before the verdict.

Pakistani media and relevant office bearers, he added, on the contrary showed greater responsibility and only announced the verdict once it was out.

Ghafoor said India’s false narrative stood defeated yet again as the international court upheld the military court’s verdict.

“By the grace of Almighty, Pakistan has stood triumphant in the ICJ. Pakistani nation, its judicial system, the legal team that represented the country at ICJ and the Foreign Office, the way they have handled the whole situation, equally deserve praise and appreciation.”

The chief military spokesperson said India’s plea to annul the military court’s verdict and declare it a violation of international law was rejected by the international court.
New Delhi, he added, wanted Jadhav to be freed and repatriated but the ICJ did not set aside the sentence.

He said India also wanted a retrial in a civilian court with consular access and prayed that only reviewing and reconsidering it will be inadequate. “However, the ICJ neither ordered Jadhav’s release nor did it annul the verdict,” the DG ISPR added.

“Now, when you approach a superior court like the ICJ, where capital punishment is totally unacceptable, and if that court does not quash the military court’s verdict then this indicates a very big victory for Pakistan… and even the review and reconsideration part of the verdict validates Pakistan’s judicial system as they said Pakistan should review and reconsider the verdict to the means of Pakistan’s own choosing,” he explained.

The military court’s verdict, Ghafoor added, was bound to be reviewed and reconsidered before getting the president’s approval anyway.

Earlier in the day, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi also termed the ICJ verdict “fitting and welcoming”, saying that India could not achieve what it desired. “The ICJ didn’t annul the military court’s verdict against Jadhav… this shows its confidence on Pakistan’s judicial system which is very fair and transparent,” he said while addressing a news conference in Islamabad.

Qureshi said that the country’s Army Act was very clear on capturing a serving Indian Navy officer, travelling with fake passport. “It is very obvious that the case would be run in a military court… same would’ve happened in India.”

He said by respecting the verdict, Islamabad will proceed further on the matter by remaining within the ambit of laws of the land.