Pakistan Military Court's 2017 verdict on Jadhav may be annulled by ICJ, says former diplomat

Pakistan is not in a position to reject verdict of the International Court of Justice on Indian naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav as its economy is in bad shape and it cannot afford to annoy the international community, says a former Indian diplomat.

New Delhi: Expressing hope for a possitive outcome in the Indian naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav's case from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), former diplomat Achal Malhotra has said the court may pay heed to India's second request and annul the Pakistan Military Court's 2017 verdict which sentenced him to death.

Malhotra, who has also served in Vienna, termed India's first request to ICJ, as maximalist.
Achal also rejected the thought that Pakistan might ignore ICJ's verdict, citing the fragile economic situation of Pakistan and the international pressure the country is dealing with.

Kulbhushan Jadhav was allegedly arrested by Pakistan government in Balochistan on charges of terrorism and spying for India.

On April 10, 2017, Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Field General Court Martial in Pakistan but on 18 May 2017, the International Court of Justice stayed the execution pending the final judgement
in the case.