India rejects Pak's riders on consular access to Jadhav

India has rejected the riders Pakistan attached to its offer for granting consular access to former Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav, who has been on a death row in the neighbouring country since April 2017.

Pakistan had offered to arrange a meeting between Jadhav and consular officers of the High Commission of India in Islamabad on Friday but insisted that the meeting should happen in the presence of its own officials and should be recorded by video cameras.

New Delhi rejected the riders and asked Islamabad to make it sure that Jadhav can interact with the consular officials of High Commission of India in Pakistan without any intimidation or fear of reprisal. Sources said that India had on Thursday asked Pakistan to provide “unimpeded consular access” to Jadhav, “in an environment free from the fear of intimidation and reprisal, in the light of the orders of the ICJ (International Court of Justice).”

New Delhi is waiting for the response from Islamabad.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on July 17 asked Pakistan to allow consular officials of High Commission of India in Islamabad to meet Jadhav. It also asked Pakistan Government to inform the former Indian Navy officer about his rights under Vienna Convention on Consular Relations 1963.

Jadhav had been in the custody of Pakistan Army since at least March 3, 2016. A military court had convicted him of working for India's external spy agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and of fomenting militancy in Baluchistan province of Pakistan.