Kulbhushan Jadhav allowed to appeal against death sentence by Pakistani court

Former Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadav can appeal against Death Sentence to the Pakistani court-martial. A joint sitting of the Pakistani parliament has approved a bill to amend the martial law to include a provision for appeal to a civil court.

The bill was passed amid opposition riots. The move follows a recommendation by the International Court of Justice that the death penalty be reviewed and an effective trial held. Jadhav was arrested on charges of plotting to riot in Balochistan by acting as an agent of the Indian Intelligence Agency. An ordinance was introduced in the Pakistan National Assembly last year to appeal to Jadhav.

In 2017, a Pakistani court sentenced former naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav to death for espionage. The International Court of Justice upheld the death sentence. The court had ordered that all legal rights be guaranteed and that Indian diplomats be given the opportunity to meet Kulbhushan Jadhav. Pakistan claimed that Kulbhushan had refused to file an appeal in the case.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ordered the Islamabad High Court to reconsider its decision. India had demanded that Kulbhushan Jadhav be given the opportunity to meet Indian officials freely without any conditions and produce case documents.

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