Indian Defense
‘Remove Shortcomings’: India Tells Pakistan On Bill Permitting Jadhav To Appeal
Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav, a former Indian Navy officer, was arrested in March 2016 in Pakistan’s Baluchistan province on charges of spying and sentenced to death the following year
The International Court of Justice (Review and Re-consideration) Bill of 2020 was passed by Pakistan’s National Assembly or lower house of Parliament on June 10. The bill, which is yet to clear the Senate or upper house, is aimed at ensuring consular access to Jadhav in line with an International Court of Justice (ICJ) verdict staying his death sentence.
India on Thursday asked Pakistan to remove shortcomings in a bill passed by the country’s Parliament to allow Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav, sentenced to death for alleged involvement in spying, to appeal against his conviction.
The International Court of Justice (Review and Re-consideration) Bill of 2020 was passed by Pakistan’s National Assembly or lower house of Parliament on June 10. The bill, which is yet to clear the Senate or upper house, is aimed at ensuring consular access to Jadhav in line with an International Court of Justice (ICJ) verdict staying his death sentence and calling for a review of his conviction.
External affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi told a weekly news briefing that Pakistan needs to take “appropriate steps to address the shortcomings in the bill and to comply with the judgement of the ICJ in letter and spirit”.
On Tuesday, the Islamabad high court adjourned till October 5 the hearing of the Pakistan government’s petition regarding the appointing of a counsel for Jadhav following a request from attorney general Khalid Javed Khan.
Bagchi said the bill passed by Pakistan’s National Assembly “codifies into law” an earlier ordinance “with all its shortcomings”. He added, “It does not create a machinery to facilitate effective review and reconsideration of Jadhav’s case, as mandated by the judgement of the ICJ.”
He pointed out the ICJ had “ruled that Pakistan was in breach of its international obligations because of the failure to provide consular access to Jadhav”.
“The ordinance, and now the bill, invites the municipal courts in Pakistan to decide whether or not any prejudice has been caused to Jadhav on account of the failure to provide consular access. This is clearly a breach of the basic tenet that municipal courts cannot be the arbiter of whether a state has fulfilled its obligations in international law,” Bagchi said.
“Not only this, it further invites the municipal court to sit in appeal, as it were, over the judgement of the ICJ,” he added.
Jadhav, a former Indian Navy officer, was arrested in March 2016 in Pakistan’s Baluchistan province on charges of spying and sentenced to death the following year. India has rejected the charges levelled against him and said he was kidnapped by Pakistani operatives from the Iranian port of Chabahar, where he was running a business. The ICJ stayed Jadhav’s execution in 2018 and ruled the following year that Pakistan must undertake an “effective review and reconsideration” of his conviction and sentencing.
Responding to another question on Pakistan foreign minister foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi writing a letter to the president of the UN Security Council and the UN secretary-general on reports that India may be contemplating further changes in Jammu and Kashmir, Bagchi made it clear that the region is an “integral part” of India and Islamabad should instead focus on tackling cross-border terrorism.
“The union territory of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. No amount of questioning can change this reality. Also, cross-border terrorism is unacceptable and no amount of justification can make it acceptable,” he said.
The solid-fuelled K-4 missile is being developed by DRDO to arm the country’s nuclear-powered submarines in the shape of INS Arihant and its under-development sister vessels. INS Arihant, which became fully operational in November 2018 to complete India’s nuclear triad, is currently armed with the much shorter K-15 missiles with a 750 km range.
“The K-4 is now virtually ready for its serial production to kick-off. The two tests have demonstrated its capability to emerge straight from underwater and undertake its parabolic trajectory,” said a source.
India has the land-based Agni missiles, with the over 5,000-km Agni-V inter-continental ballistic missile now in the process of being inducted, and fighter jets jury-rigged to deliver nuclear weapons. But INS Arihant gives the country’s deterrence posture much more credibility because nuclear-powered submarines armed with nuclear-tipped missiles are considered the most secure, survivable and potent platforms for retaliatory strikes.
Once the K-4 missiles are inducted, they will help India narrow the gap with countries like the US, Russia and China, which have over 5,000-km range SLBMs. The K-4 missiles are to be followed by the K-5 and K-6 missiles in the 5,000-6,000 km range class.
The 6,000-ton INS Arihant, which is propelled by an 83 MW pressurised light-water reactor at its core, in turn, is to be followed by INS Arighat, which was launched in 2017. The next generation of nuclear submarines, currently called S-4 and S-4*, will be much larger in size.
India has received clearance to upgrade 84 Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets, which will result in 78% indigenization after the upgrade
In a significant step towards bolstering its military might with indigenously developed technology, India is poised to witness its Russian-origin Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets evolve into a domestic platform. Speaking at a recent lecture.
The upgrade program is being led by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in partnership with the Indian Air Force and other partners. The upgrade is expected to cost US$7.5 billion.
This initiative is a part of a larger effort by the Indian Air Force to modernize its ageing fleet. Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari asserted the critical role of an offensive air force as demonstrated in current global conflicts and emphasized India’s move towards an indigenized arsenal. To this end, the IAF has been proactive, from upgrading its Mirage 2000 to enhancing its MiG-29 fleet.
In summary, the IAF’s commitment to updating their combat forces with the latest technology, including shifting to fifth-generation fighter jets, ensures operational preparedness and a strong deterrence capability. The gradual indigenization of its air fleet marks a pivotal shift in India’s defence landscape, reducing dependency on foreign imports and fostering technological sovereignty.
According to unconfirmed reports, Armenia is a top contender for an export order for Akash SAM system manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL).
The Akash export version will also be slightly different from the one inducted by the armed forces. The 100-km range air-to-air Astra missiles, now entering production after successful trials from Sukhoi-30MKI fighters, also have “good export potential”, said sources.
Akash is a “tried, tested and successfully inducted systems”. Indian armed forces have ordered Akash systems worth Rs 24,000 crore over the years, and MoD inked a contract in Mar 2023 of over Rs 9,100 crores for improved Akash Weapon System
BDL is a government enterprise under the Ministry of Defence that was established in 1970. BDL manufactures surface-to-air missiles and delivers them to the Indian Army. BDL also offers its products for export.
Akash Weapon System
The AWS is a Short Range Surface to Air Missile (SRSAM) Air Defence System, indigenously designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). In order to meet aerial threats, two additional Regiments of AWS with Upgradation are being procured for Indian Army for the Northern borders. Improved AWS has Seeker Technology, Reduced Foot Print, 360° Engagement Capability and improved environmental parameters.
The project will give a boost to the Indian missile manufacturing industry in particular and the indigenous defence manufacturing ecosystem as a whole. The project has overall indigenous content of 82% which will be increased to 93% by 2026-27.
The induction of the improved AWS into the Indian Army will increase India’s self-reliance in Short Range Missile capability. This project will play a role in boosting the overall economy by avoiding outgo of precious foreign exchange to other countries, increasing employment avenues in India and encouraging Indian MSMEs through components manufacturing. Around 60% of the project cost will be awarded to the private industry, including MSMEs, in maintaining the supply chain of the weapon system, thereby creating large scale of direct and indirect employment.
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