Appreciate ICJ's decision to not acquit and hand over Jadhav to India: Pakistan PM Imran Khan

"Appreciate ICJ’s decision not to acquit, release & return Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav to India," tweeted Khan on Thursday morning.

"He is guilty of crimes against the people of Pakistan. Pakistan shall proceed further as per law," he added.

Ending all speculations, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in a 15:1 judgement ruled in favour of India as it passed its verdict in the case related to Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav, who was sentenced to death in Pakistan on charges of espionage. The international court thus stayed the execution of Jadhav by Pakistan.

A Pakistan judge was the only one voting against India's case.

"And the decision in the #Jadhav Case is out! ICJ has ruled in favour of India on merits, affirming Jadhav’s right to consular access and notification," tweeted Reema Omar, International Legal Advisor, South Asia, ICJ. "The Court has directed Pakistan to provide effective review and reconsideration of his conviction and sentences," she tweeted.

The Court has also said that Jadhav’s death sentence should remain suspended until Pakistan effectively reviews and reconsiders the conviction/sentence in light of Pakistan’s breach of Art 36(1) i.e. denial of consular access and notification, she posted.

The verdict was read out  in a public sitting of the United Nations court  in The Hague.

A Pakistani military court in April 2017 sentenced Jadhav to death on charges of espionage and terrorism.

India on Wednesday welcomed the judgement delivered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague in favour of the country.

In a statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), India said: "The Court, by a vote of 15-1, has upheld India's claim that Pakistan is in egregious violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, 1963 on several counts. India appreciated the direction by the International Court of Justice that Pakistan should review and reconsider the conviction and sentence given to Jadhav by the Pakistani military court."

Welcoming the verdict, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: "We welcome today’s verdict in the @CIJ_ICJ. Truth and justice have prevailed. Congratulations to the ICJ for a verdict based on extensive study of facts. I am sure Kulbhushan Jadhav will get justice. Our Government will always work for the safety and welfare of every Indian."

The International Court of Justice had earlier asked Pakistan to hold off the execution till it reaches its final verdict in the case.

Even as Jadhav, 48, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court in April 2017,  following the Indian government's move to the international court, the 10-member bench of the ICJ on May 18, 2017 had given a stay order and 'restrained' Pakistan from executing Jadhav till adjudication of the case.

In its written pleadings, India had accused Pakistan of violating the Vienna Convention by not giving consular access to Jadhav arguing that the convention did not say that such access would not be available to an individual arrested on espionage charges.

India had said the so called trial of Jadhav by a military court in Pakistan was "farcical".

Later in December, 2017, Kulbhushan Jadhav was allowed to meet his wife and mother but the MEA in Delhi had said it appeared Jadhav was “under considerable stress” and “speaking in an atmosphere of coercion”.

“The manner in which the meeting was conducted and its aftermath was clearly an attempt to bolster a false and unsubstantiated narrative of Jadhav’s alleged activities,” the ministry had said in a statement.

“The Pakistani side conducted the meeting in a manner that violated the letter and spirit of our understandings," it had said.