Reports of Pakistan amending its Army Act to allow Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav the right to file an appeal in a civilian court in compliance with the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) verdict were mere speculation, said the Pakistan Army.
The report said, a special amendment is being made under the Army Act for Jadhav in view that the existing act forbade individuals or groups being tried under Military courts from filing an appeal and seeking justice from the civilian court.
However, Pakistan Army spokesperson Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor said that these reports are mere speculations. He tweeted, "Speculations for amendment in Pak Army Act to implement ICJ verdict regarding convicted Indian terrorist Cdr Kulbushan Jadhav are incorrect. Various legal options for review and reconsideration of the case are being considered. Final status shall be shared in due course of time."
In July this year, the ICJ, by a vote of 15-1 in the Jadhav case, upheld India's claim that Pakistan is in egregious violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations on several counts. The world court had ordered Islamabad to carry out an effective "review and reconsideration" of his conviction.
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.
