Daily Times

Pakistan on Thursday categorically dismissed any option to amend local laws on India’s demand to allow its own lawyers to fight the case of spy Kulbhushan Jadhav in Pakistani courts.

“Pakistan will never accept any unreasonable demand by India on Jadhav case,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said when asked if Pakistan was considering any relaxation in laws to accommodate the Indian demands. The spokesperson told a weekly press briefing that there is no other option for India but to ‘cooperate with Pakistani courts’, which only permitted appearance of locally registered lawyers before the bench. The case of Indian serving navy commander is under trial at the Islamabad High Court after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in its verdict asked Pakistan for a ‘review and reconsideration’ of death sentence announced by the military court. “Pakistan remains committed to the implementation of IHC judgment,” he said.

Chaudhri confirmed that Pakistan has received a reply from India in response to the offer for a third consular on recommendation of the IHC early this month. “However unfortunately, India still appears evasive on the issue,” he said. He said Pakistan has already given ‘uninterrupted and unimpeded’ consular access to Jadhav and was ready to extend the same in future as well.

The spokesperson strongly condemned the recent statement by Indian Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, saying Pakistan could suffer “heavy losses for any misadventure if it took advantage of Ladakh situation”. “Such belligerent statements from senior military leadership of India provide insight into how the BJP-RSS mindset – a dangerous mix of extremist ideology, hegemonic ambitions and obsession with Pakistan, has permeated Indian state institutions,” he said.

Zahid Chaudhri said India’s defence capabilities had been embarrassingly exposed to the world not far ago. “Unfortunately, the Indian government in response to any geopolitical, economic or military setback, instead of learning from its mistakes and instituting course correction, simply doubles down on its miscalculation and bellicose rhetoric.” He called for the international community must play its role in making India comply with its obligations under international law, UN Charter and the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions on Kashmir.

Zahid Chaudhri stated that Pakistan believes it is imperative that China-India border issues are resolved in line with agreed understandings and bilateral agreements through established mechanisms and peace and tranquility is maintained in the region. “Regarding the latest incidents at the China-India border, Pakistan has been repeatedly emphasizing that India’s expansionist, and unilateral actions, particularly since 5th August 2019, have been imperiling regional peace and security. The latest situation at the China-India border areas validates Pakistan’s concerns and demonstrates that India’s belligerence remains a major impediment in resolving the issues at its borders,” the FO spokesperson stated.