India gets second consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav

NEW DELHI: Indian officials have reached the Pakistan foreign office in Islamabad on Thursday after Pakistan granted second consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav, according to Pakistan media.
India had earlier asked Pakistan to give unconditional access to Jadhav, who is on death row in Pakistan.
Last week, Pakistan had claimed that Jadhav had refused to file a review plea. However, India had said that he had been coerced into doing that.

In early 2017, a Pakistani military court sentenced him to death. In May 2017, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) stayed his execution and he has since been on death row in Pakistan.
India had last Thursday said it is assessing all legal options in the case related to Indian national Kulbushan Jadhav and assured that it is committed to protecting the life of Indian nationals.
Pakistan had earlier claimed that Jadhav has refused to initiate review petition of his sentence and conviction.

"We had pointed out how Pakistan's claim that Kulbushan Jadhav has refused to initiate a review petition, is a continuation of the farce playing out for the last 4 years. We are assessing our legal options and we remain committed to protecting the life of our Indian nationals," ministry of external affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava had said during a media briefing.
India had also dismissed Pakistan's claims that Jadhav has refused to file an appeal in the Islamabad High Court against his conviction and stated that the Indian national was coerced by Islamabad to forego his rights to seek implementation of the judgment of the ICJ.
India sought unimpeded access to Jadhav to discuss his remedies under the Ordinance that allowed the High Court to review the sentence awarded by Pakistan's military court.
"Pakistan's claim that Jadhav, who is incarcerated in Pakistan's custody, has refused to initiate review petition is a continuation of the farce that has been in play for the last four years. Jadhav has been sentenced to execution through a farcical trial. He remains under custody of Pakistan's military. He has clearly been coerced to refuse to file a review in his case," Srivastava had said in the statement.
Jadhav was purportedly "arrested" from Balochistan by Pakistani security forces on March 3, 2016, after he allegedly entered the country from Iran as claimed by Islamabad. India has rejected Pakistan's allegations about Jadhav's involvement in spying and subversive activities and said he was kidnapped from the Iranian port of Chabahar where he was running a business.
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