Pakistan govt faces Opposition heat over Kulbhushan Jadhav bill; 'traitor' chants resonate

The confusion in Pakistan's political establishment again came to the fore on Thursday after the opposition vociferously opposed the passage of the bill pertaining to Kulbhushan Jadhav in the National Assembly. The International Court of Justice (Review and Re-consideration) Bill, 2020 allows a foreign national to challenge a military court's order in any High Court of Pakistan either himself or through a consular officer of his country's mission. The opposition objected to the fact that the Imran Khan-led government passed 21 bills including the aforesaid legislation despite its strong protest and walkout. No right to read the bill, no right to debate the bill, no right to have our vote counted and our opposition recorded. Completely undermine the role of parliament in legislation. Highly condemnable. Bulldozing of Election rigging bill, Kulbhushan NRO bill, PMDC, NEPRA bill. https://t.co/v5rQpkcxTW — BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) June 10, 2021 As the bill was being deliberated, the opposition parliamentarians gathered in front of the Speaker's dais and raised slogans such as "Modi's friend is a traitor". PML(N) member Ahsan Iqbal expressed concern over the notion that it is a person-specific bill as his name is mentioned in the Statement of Objects and Reasons. Moreover, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi came under fire after he claimed that the opposition was toeing the "Indian agenda" by opposing the bill. However, the country's Law Minister Farogh Nasim explained that the bill was being passed in light of the verdict of the International Court of Justice. According to him, India would have gone to the UN Security Council and initiated contempt proceedings against Pakistan in the ICJ if the bill would not have passed. The bill which was approved by the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Law and Justice on October 21, 2020, will become law only if it clears Pakistan's Upper House- Senate where the opposition has a majority. Subsequently, the opposition moved a no-confidence motion against Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri who presided over most of the Assembly session on Thursday. Accusing him of collaborating with the government "illegally", the political parties alleged contravention of the Constitution and democratic norms. The joint opposition letter read, "The Deputy Speaker through his unlawful and fascist conduct has become the instrument of treasury benches to bulldoze legislation, deny the members the right to deliberate upon legislation and to repressively silencing the voice of the people of Pakistan". PTI government bulldozed about 20 bills in the National Assembly yesterday in an unprecedented hurry & in contravention of democratic norms & legislative rules. This move clearly had a mala fide intention behind it. This is not how a Parliament is run through arbitrariness. — Shehbaz Sharif (القدس في العيون) (@CMShehbaz) June 11, 2021 Kulbhushan Jadhav case Involved in business dealings in Iran, retired Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav was abducted by Pakistan in March 2016. His case came to light after the Pakistan Army released a video where is seen giving a coerced confession on camera. After a military court awarded him a death sentence on the charges of espionage and terrorism in 2017, India moved the ICJ. Queen's Counsel and senior advocate Harish Salve represented the country at The Hague. In its judgment dated July 17, 2019, the ICJ stayed Jadhav's death sentence until the review and reconsideration of his sentence and conviction are completed. Furthermore, the ICJ directed Pakistan to allow India consular access to Jadhav. In response, Pakistan promulgated the International Court of Justice Review and Reconsideration Ordinance, 2020 permitting the review of a military court's decision at the Islamabad HC. At present, the Islamabad HC bench comprising Chief Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb is hearing the petition filed by Pakistan’s Ministry of Law and Justice seeking the appointment of a lawyer for Jadhav. However, India has consistently raised 4 issues- concerns about the International Court of Justice Review and Reconsideration Ordinance, 2020, lack of meaningful consular access, not allowing Queen's Counsel to represent Jadhav and that appearing before a Pakistani court would compromise its sovereign integrity. A day earlier, sources told Republic TV that India is likely to seek the cross-examination of the Pakistani military officers who abducted Kulbhushan Jadhav, and also those who recorded his confession.

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Pakistan govt faces Opposition heat over Kulbhushan Jadhav bill; 'traitor' chants resonate

The confusion in Pakistan's political establishment again came to the fore after the opposition opposed the passage of the bill regarding Kulbhushan Jadhav.

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