The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday formed a larger bench to hear the case pertaining to the appointment of legal representative for Indian spy and agent of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) Kulbhushan Jadhav.

The bench includes IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Mian Gull Hassan Aurangzeb.

The hearing will start on September 3.

Earlier, Foreign Office had recontacted Indian government over matter of appointing a lawyer for Kulbhushan Jadhav, stating that the move came under the light of IHC directives. 

On July 22, 2020, the government had moved the court stating that Kulbhushan, who was involved in several terrorist activities in Pakistan, had refused to file a plea against his sentence. The agent cannot appoint a lawyer in Pakistan without assistance from India, it read.

On July 2, 2020, Pakistan had decided to grant third consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav following his refusal to file a review petition against his sentence.

On July 16, 2020, Indian Charge d’Affaires reached the Foreign Office as New Delhi accepted Pakistan’s offer to give second consular access to Jadhav. The place where the agent was kept had been declared as sub-jail.

Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said first consular access under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations 1963 was earlier provided by Pakistan on second September last year. She said the mother and wife of Commander Jadhav were also allowed to meet him on December 25, 2017.

Aisha Farooqui said two consular officers of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad were provided unimpeded and uninterrupted consular access to Commander Jadhav.

On July 17, 2019, the ICJ had rejected remedies sought by India, including annulment of military court decision convicting Kulbhushan Jadhav, his release and safe passage to India.