Qureshi claims ICJ verdict on Jadhav 'victory' for Pak

Claiming victory in the ICJ verdict, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said India's demand for his acquittal, release and return to India has not been accepted by the court.

Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav will remain in Pakistan and will be treated in accordance with the laws there, he said in his reaction to the verdict of the International Court of Justice.

"Commander Jadhav shall remain in Pakistan. He shall be treated in accordance with the laws of Pakistan. This is a victory for Pakistan," Qureshi tweeted on Wednesday.

"They (India) wanted acquittal, that's not been accepted. They wanted release, that's not been accepted. They wanted return, that has been rejected. If they still want to claim victory, good luck!" he said in another tweet.

Qureshi's remarks came after the ICJ on Wednesday asked Pakistan to review its order of death sentence awarded to Jadhav facing charges of espionage and conspiracy against Pakistan in what was seen as a major win for India.

The court also granted him consular access holding Islamabad guilty of violating the Vienna Convention.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday said his country will proceed as per the law in the Jadhav case.

"Pakistan shall proceed further as per law," he said while alleging that Jadhav is "guilty of crimes against the people of Pakistan".

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, India's External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

"We also appreciate the direction of the ICJ that Pakistan should review and reconsider the conviction and sentence given to Jadhav by Pakist military court," he added.

Government sources in New Delhi said Jadhav is innocent and that "he was kidnapped from Iran, where he was residing and carrying on business after retiring from the Indian Navy. There is absolutely no clarification by Pakistan about the circumstances of his arrest".

Jadhav, 49, was purportedly "arrested" from Balochistan by Pakist security forces on March 3, 2016, after he allegedly entered the country from Iran as claimed by Islamabad.

It was on March 25, 2016, that then Foreign Secretary of Pakistan Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry had informed the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad of Jadhav's "arrest."

Since then, Pakistan has not offered any explanation as to why Islamabad took over three weeks to inform the Indian High Commissioner about Jadhav's arrest.

Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Pakist military court on April 11, 2017.

Following this, India on May 8, 2017, approached the ICJ against Pakistan "for egregious violations of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, 1963" in the matter.

India alleged that Pakistan is in breach of Article 36(1) (b) of the Vienna Convention, which obliged Pakistan to inform India of the arrest of Jadhav "without delay".

( With inputs from ANI )