Pakistan will take 'bitter decisions' on Jadhav: Foreign Minister

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Thursday said the country may have to take "some bitter decisions" in the case of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav, whose death sentence by a Pakistani military court is being challenged by India at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Speaking to the media in Multan, Qureshi said Pakistan would move ahead under Prime Minister Imran Khan's leadership and urged the public to be prepared for difficult decisions. His remarks were widely seen as a reference to the possibility of Jadhav's execution.

"We will try to move forward under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan. The nation should be ready as we will have to take some bitter decisions," Geo News quoted Qureshi as saying.

Qureshi also expressed confidence that Pakistan would successfully defend its position before the ICJ, which was scheduled to hear the case in February 2019.

"We have solid evidence against Jadhav and are hopeful we will win the case in the ICJ," he said, adding that Pakistan would make every effort to present its arguments effectively before the international court.

Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court in April 2017 after being convicted of espionage. India rejected the charges and subsequently approached the ICJ, arguing that Pakistan had violated Jadhav's rights and denied him proper consular access.

In response to India's petition, a 10-member ICJ bench ordered Pakistan not to execute Jadhav until the court had delivered its final decision in the case.

Pakistan has maintained that Jadhav was not an ordinary Indian citizen and accused him of entering the country to conduct espionage and sabotage activities in Balochistan. India has consistently denied the allegations.

According to Pakistani authorities, Jadhav was arrested on March 3, 2016, after allegedly entering Pakistan illegally from Iran. Indian authorities, however, have maintained that he was abducted from Iran and taken to Pakistan against his will.

The case had become a major point of tension between India and Pakistan, with Jadhav's fate emerging as one of the most sensitive issues between the two countries.