The next hearing of ex-Indian naval official’s hearing in Pakistani court will be held on October 3

India has said it is taking all steps to ensure the safety of Kulbhushan Jadhav, the Indian national who is on death-row for his alleged involvement in espionage activity in Pakistan. A Pakistan military court sentenced him to death in 2017.

“We are in touch with Pakistan through diplomatic channels and the government of India is taking all possible steps to ensure the safety of Kulbhushan Jadhav,” Ministry of External Affairs’ spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said during a weekly press briefing on September 3.

In another development, the Islamabad High Court on Thursday ordered the Pakistani federal government to let India appoint a lawyer to represent Kulbhushan Jadhav.

The Islamabad High Court had last month constituted a three-judge member bench to hear the petition filed by the government to appoint a legal representative for the ex-Indian naval officer.

But the court said the lawyer should be a Pakistani national. However, India made it clear that it wants Jadhav to be represented by an Indian lawyer to review a petition against his death sentence in Pakistan.

In the course of Thursday’s hearing, as per the Pakistani daily, Dawn, the bench comprising Chief Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb ordered the Pakistani government to send its order on Jadhav to India and adjourned the hearing until October 3.

The Islamabad High Court said that the judicial review in the case would be a futile exercise if Jadhav did not actively participate in the proceedings.