New Delhi: India has asked Pakistan for Kulbhushan Jadhav to be represented by an Indian lawyer for filing a review petition against his death sentence, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.

“We are in touch with Pakistan through diplomatic channels. We believe for a free and fair trial in keeping with the letter and spirit of ICJ judgment, we have asked that Jhadav be represented by an Indian lawyer,” MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said during a virtual briefing.

“However, it is important that Pakistan needs to address the core issues and these core issues involve providing all the necessary documents in this case as well as providing unimpeded consular access to Jadhav,” he said.

Earlier, this month Islamabad High Court (IHC) had formed a larger bench to hear the petition case pertaining to the appointment of legal representative for Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav, who is on death row in Pakistan.

Geo News had reported that the larger bench, comprising IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Mian Gull Hassan Aurangzeb, was formed on Friday and it will hear the case on September 3.

The decision came after India continued to pressurise Pakistan into allowing consular access to Jadhav.

Pakistan media had reported earlier that Islamabad Court has said Indian officials should be given an opportunity to present their stance. India had said that it had not received any communication from Pakistan government.

India has also said that Pakistan has blocked all avenues for effective remedy available to it in the case. Pakistan claims that Jadhav was arrested from Balochistan in 2016 on charges of espionage.

India has rejected Pakistan’s allegations and said he was kidnapped from the Iranian port of Chabahar. In early 2017, a Pakistani military court sentenced him to death.

The International Court of Justice upheld India’s claim that Pakistan has committed an egregious violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations on several counts. (ANI)