New Delhi, 11th June 2021: Pakistan’s National Assembly has approved a bill that allows Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav to appeal against his sentence in the country’s high court. The Bill provides for review and reconsideration of the decision of the International Court of Justice.

The National Assembly approved the bill on Thursday after the 21-member standing committee approved it. It has been named the ‘International Court of Justice (Review and Re-Consideration) Act’. The Pakistan government had earlier brought an ordinance in the National Assembly in the wake of the International Court’s decision in the Jadhav case.

Former Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court in 2017 on charges of espionage and terrorism.

India had appealed to the international court of Hague against the decision of the military court of Pakistan and the denial of consular access by the Pakistani government to Jadhav.

The Hague court said in the year 2019 that the sentence awarded to Jadhav should be reviewed and the court had also said to reconsider it. The court, while slamming the Pakistan government, had also said that Jadhav has a right to get consular access, which should not be denied to him.

After the passage of this bill, any foreign national imprisoned in Pakistan, who has been convicted by the military court of Pakistan can appeal to the High Court through the consular officer of his country. The High Court will consider this appeal under Article 3 of the Constitution.

Last year the Large Bench of the Islamabad High Court had started hearing on the non-release of Jadhav and three other Indian prisoners after completion of their sentences.

In January this year, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs had also strongly criticized Pakistan, saying that it was not implementing what was said by the International Court of Justice.