ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has launched a “review and reconsideration process” in the case of an alleged Indian spy, Commander Kulbhushan Sudhir Jadhav, following a verdict by the International Court of Justice in July 2019 that asked the country to reevaluate the entire process of the trial and give India consular access to the prisoner, said Foreign Office Spokesman Dr. Muhammad Faisal.
The Indian naval officer was arrested in March 2016 from the volatile Baluchistan province during a counter-intelligence operation.
According to Pakistani authorities, Jadhav confessed to his involvement in subversive activities and espionage against the country and admitted that he was working for Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India’s clandestine spy agency.
Tried by a Field General Court Martial, Jadhav was found guilty and sentenced to death a little more than a year after his arrest in April 2017. However, New Delhi approached the ICJ within a month of his sentence and the world court asked Pakistan to stay his execution pending a final decision.
On Thursday, Dr. Faisal said that Pakistan had begun its internal “review and reconsideration process” regarding the death penalty handed down by the military court, though he declined to give details of the legal procedure.
Talking to Arab News in August this year, a leading international law expert, Ahmer Bilal Soofi, said “the review could be done by the appellant court or the high court in exercise of writ petition or it could also be a special bench.”
He added that Jadhav’s “lawyer should be a Pakistani national because under the Pakistan Bar Council’s rules no foreign lawyer can appear before the Pakistani court.”
His assertion was also substantiated by another lawyer, Yasser Hamdani, who noted that “the ICJ verdict makes it very clear that a civilian court will be a necessity in the matter.”
However, he maintained it was not clear how the review process would work since a decision of the military court could not be taken up by the superior civilian judiciary under the Army Act.
“Ultimately, Pakistan will have to constitute a special tribunal by making another law,” Hamdani said.
Pakistan begins ‘review and reconsideration’ process in Jadhav case
Pakistan begins ‘review and reconsideration’ process in Jadhav case
- The International Court of Justice asked Islamabad to review the procedure of the trial in July this year
- Pakistan has already given India consular access to Jadhav in compliance with the world court’s verdict
Pakistan strikes $4 billion deal to sell weapons to Libyan force, officials say
- Pakistan’s defense industry spans aircraft, vehicles, and naval construction
- The deal, spread over two-and-a-half years, includes JF-17 jets, officials say
KARACHI: Pakistan has reached a deal worth over $4 billion to sell military equipment to the Libyan National Army, four Pakistani officials said, despite a UN arms embargo on the fractured North African country.
The deal, one of Pakistan’s largest-ever weapons sales, was finalized after a meeting last week between Pakistan military chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Saddam Khalifa Haftar, deputy commander-in-chief of the LNA, in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, said the four officials.
The officials, all involved in defense matters, declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the deal.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry, defense ministry and military did not respond to requests for comment.
Any arms agreement with the LNA is likely to face scrutiny given Libya’s long-running instability following a 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled Muammar Qaddafi and split the country between rival authorities.
A copy of the deal before it was finalized that was seen by Reuters listed the purchase of 16 JF-17 fighter jets, a multi-role combat aircraft that has been jointly developed by Pakistan and China, and 12 Super Mushak trainer aircraft, used for basic pilot training.
One of the Pakistani officials confirmed the list was accurate while a second official said the arms on the list were all part of the deal but could not provide exact numbers.
One of the Pakistani officials said the deal included the sale of equipment for land, sea and air, spread over 2-1/2 years, adding it could also include the JF-17 fighter jets. Two of the officials said the deal was valued at more than $4 billion, while the other two said it amounted to $4.6 billion.
The LNA’s official media channel reported on Sunday that the faction had entered a defense cooperation pact with Pakistan, which included weapons sales, joint training and military manufacturing, without providing details.
“We announce the launch of a new phase of strategic military cooperation with Pakistan,” Haftar said in remarks broadcast on Sunday by Al-Hadath television.
Authorities in Benghazi also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The UN-recognized Government of National Unity, led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, controls much of western Libya, while Haftar’s LNA controls the east and south, including major oilfields, and does not recognize the western government’s authority.
ARMS EMBARGO
Libya has been subject to a UN arms embargo since 2011, requiring approval from the UN for transfers of weapons and related material.
A panel of experts said in a December 2024 report to the UN that the arms embargo on Libya remained “ineffective.” The panel said some foreign states had become increasingly open about providing military training and assistance to forces in both eastern and western Libya despite the restrictions.
It was not immediately clear whether Pakistan or Libya had applied for any exemptions to the UN embargo.
Three of the Pakistani officials said the deal had not broken any UN weapons embargo.
One of the officials said Pakistan is not the only one to make deals with Libya; another said there are no sanctions on Haftar; and a third said Benghazi authorities are witnessing better relations with Western governments, given rising fuel exports.
PAKISTAN EYEING MARKETS
Pakistan has been seeking to expand defense exports, drawing on decades of counterinsurgency experience and a domestic defense industry that spans aircraft production and overhaul, armored vehicles, munitions and naval construction.
Islamabad has cited its Air Force’s performance in clashes with India in May.
“Our recent war with India demonstrated our advanced capabilities to the world,” military chief Munir said in remarks broadcast by Al-Hadath on Sunday.
Pakistan markets the Chinese co-developed JF-17 as a lower-cost multi-role fighter and has positioned itself as a supplier able to offer aircraft, training and maintenance outside Western supply chains.
Pakistan has also been deepening security ties with Gulf partners, signing a Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement with Saudi Arabia in September 2025 and holding senior-level defense talks with Qatar.
The Libya deal would expand Pakistan’s footprint in North Africa as regional and international powers compete for influence over Libya’s fragmented security institutions and oil-backed economy.
