Indian Deputy High Commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia arrived at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad on Monday for a consular meeting with Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav, who is being held on charges of espionage and terrorism.

According to sources, Ahluwalia first met with Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal, and then Jadhav at a sub-jail.

"Pursuant to the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Pakistan provided consular access on September 2, 2019 to India for Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav, Indian spy, serving Indian Naval officer and RAW operative," read a statement from the FO.

"Gaurav Ahluwalia, Charge d' Affairs of the Indian high Commission in Islamabad, availed consular access, which was provided in line with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, ICJ verdict and the laws of Pakistan," read the statement.

"Consular access was provided at 1200 hours and lasted for two (02) hours, in the presence of officials of the Government of Pakistan," the statement continued. "On Indian request, there was no restriction on the language of communication. In order to ensure transparency and in line with standard operating procedures, and as conveyed to the Indian side in advance, the access was recorded.

A day earlier, Pakistan had announced that it would provide consular access to Jadhav in line with the Vienna Convention and the July 17 verdict of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Editorial: Now that ICJ has ruled on Jadhav, Islamabad and Delhi must move forward with maturity

"Consular access for Indian spy Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav, a serving Indian naval officer, and RAW operative is being provided on Monday, September 2, 2019, in line with Vienna Convention on Consular relations, ICJ judgment and the laws of Pakistan," Dr Faisal had said on Twitter.

"Commander Jadhav remains in Pakistan’s custody, for espionage, terrorism, and sabotage," he said in another tweet.

On Monday morning, a senior Indian government official confirmed the meeting. The official, while speaking to the AFP, said New Delhi hoped "Pakistan will ensure [the] right atmosphere so that the meeting is free, fair, meaningful and effective in keeping with the letter and spirit of the ICJ orders".

Indian foreign ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar said: "The Charge d’ Affaires, High Commission of India in Islamabad, met Shri Kulbhushan Jadhav today. This meeting was held in the light of unanimous judgement of the International Court of Justice delivered on July 17, 2019."

Last month, Pakistan had made a formal offer to India to provide consular access to Jadhav and had been awaiting a response from the other side.

Speaking in New Delhi, Raveesh Kumar had confirmed that they had received the proposal from Pakistan, but said they were evaluating the proposal in light of the ICJ judgement. He had declared that India would maintain communication with Pakistan in this matter through diplomatic channels.

Trial in military court and in ICJ

Jadhav was arrested on March 3, 2016, in a counter-intelligence operation in Balochistan. A military court awarded him death sentence on April 10, 2017, following his confession that he had mounted operations for RAW to conduct terrorist activities on Pakistani soil.

In June 2017, the Indian spy filed a mercy petition against death penalty, in which he again confessed to his involvement in terrorist activities.

However, before Pakistani authorities could make a final decision, the ICJ, after being approached by India, ordered a stay in his execution through an interim order.

In its final verdict announced on July 17, the ICJ asked Pakistan to provide consular access to Jadhav under the Vienna Convention.

However, the Hague-based ICJ had rejected India’s request for acquittal, release and return of Commander Jadhav.

Following the verdict, the FO had announced that that as a responsible state, Pakistan would grant consular access to Jadhav according to the country’s laws, for which modalities were being worked out.

It said that pursuant to the ICJ judgement, Jadhav had been informed of his rights under Article 36, Paragraph 1(b) of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.

In its verdict that followed proceedings lasting about two years, the UN’s top court did not accept India’s contention that Jadhav was entitled to ‘restitutio in integrum’ (restoration to original position) and turned down its request to annul the decision of the Pakistani military court.

Instead, it ruled that Pakistan by means of its own choosing could undergo an effective review and reconsideration of the sentence awarded to Jadhav.

The ICJ said that even though it had found Pakistan in violation of Article 36 the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (VCCR), “it is not the conviction and sentence of Jadhav which are to be regarded as a violation of Article 36 of the Vienna Convention.”

The most the ICJ said it could do was to order Pakistan to cease violation of Article 36 and review the case in light of how that violation might have affected the case’s outcome.

“The court notes that Pakistan acknowledges that the appropriate remedy in the present case would be effective review and reconsideration of the conviction and sentence,” it observed.

To this end, Pakistan was directed to immediately inform Jadhav of his rights under Article 36, grant India consular access, and then review the case while considering, under the laws of Pakistan, how not doing so earlier might have impacted the case’s outcome.

“The Court notes that the obligation to provide effective review and reconsideration can be carried out in various ways. The choice of means is left to Pakistan,” the ICJ added. However, it stressed that “Pakistan shall take all measures to provide for effective review and reconsideration, including, if necessary, by enacting appropriate legislation.”

In December 2017, Pakistan had allowed family members of Jadhav to have a meeting with him. India later accused Pakistan of harassing Jadhav’s family during the meeting that it said was held in an “atmosphere of coercion”. Pakistan on the other hand had denied the allegation.