AAMIR SAEED

ISLAMABAD: The International Court of Justice (ICJ) does not have jurisdiction to stay Indian spy Kulbushan Jadhav’s execution, who was sentenced to death by a military court of Pakistan earlier this year.

“After India stood exposed in state-sponsored terrorism, terror financing, spying and subversive activities, it has desperately tried to divert the world attention by presenting Kulbhushan Jadhav’s case from the humanitarian angle,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said during weekly news briefing here on Thursday.

“India is trying to defend a person whose actions have led to the killing of scores of innocent Pakistanis,” he said, adding that the decision to challenge the jurisdiction of the ICJ was taken after consultation with all the institutions and agencies.

The Foreign Office has also requested access to Indian spy Jadhav’s accomplices, but India did not give a positive response to it.

The spokesperson pointed out that a bilateral pact exists on consular access between the two countries since 2008 and according to the pact’s article six, the matter of consular access lies solely on the merit of the case.

India’s fastest growing nuclear programme in the world has serious implications for strategic stability in South Asia and national security of Pakistan, he said.

He said Pakistan has been underscoring the risk of diversion by India to imported nuclear fuel, equipment and technology received pursuant to civil nuclear accord and 2008 energy waiver by Nuclear Suppliers Group.

The spokesperson urged the Nuclear Suppliers Group members to consider risks involved in transfer of nuclear material to India and its NSG membership bid.

In response to a question, he said India’s move requiring Advisor on Foreign Affairs of Pakistan Sartaj Aziz to write a recommendatory letter to Indian External Affairs Minister for every medical visa case is unprecedented in inter-state relations.

Giving update on situation in Occupied Kashmir, the spokesperson said Hindu terrorist outfit RSS has been stationing its activists and establishing its units in Occupied Kashmir, managed by non-Kashmiri RSS activists.

The RSS had slaughtered more than half a million Kashmiri Muslims in November 1947 together with Dogra and Indian occupation forces, he said, adding that their increasing presence in the Occupied Kashmir is to terrorise Kashmiris and deter them from participating in the self-determination movement.

He said that young Kashmiris, particularly the students, are the target of occupation forces and RSS. Over 200 people including students were arrested while 500 people including boys and girl students were injured when Indian occupation forces subjected defenseless protesting students to brute force in Srinagar, Ganderbal, Budgam, Kulgam, Baramulla, Kupwara, Islamabad, Pulwama and Shopian, districts.

Nafees Zakaria said that at least eight people were killed by Indian occupation forces in shootout in the Occupied Kashmir. He said Pakistan condemns these killings and arrest and persecution of Kashmiri leadership.

The spokesperson said that advisor to foreign affairs has written a letter to the United Nations inviting its attention towards demographic changes being engineered by India in Occupied Kashmir in violation of the UN Security Council resolutions.

On foreign relations front, the Prime Minister has paid a highly successful visit to China for participation in the Road and Belt Forum during the current week, he said.

On the sidelines, the Prime Minister also met a number of international leaders including the leadership of China, Turkey, Belarus, Vietnam, Ethiopia and interacted with many others including the Russian President.