Calling the counter-memorial submitted to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in Hague in the case of Indian spy Kulbhusan Jadhav “comprehensive and robust”, Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal expressed confidence that India’s claim for Jhadav’s “acquittal or release” will be rejected.

The FO spokesperson in his weekly press briefing in Islamabad also confirmed that the Pakistan high commissioner in India has been instructed to arrange visas for the Jhadav’s wife and mother.

Pakistan agreed to allow the the family to meet Jhadav on humanitarian grounds following India’s request. The meeting is scheduled for December 25, 2017.

Jadhav was arrested during a counter-intelligence raid in the Mashkhel area of Balochistan in March last year. In a video statement, he confessed to being a spy for India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) who was sent to Pakistan to plan, coordinate and organise espionage and sabotage activities in Balochistan and Karachi.

In April this year, he was sentenced to death by a military court.

India had approached The Hague court in May this year, requesting it to stay Jadhav’s execution.

The spokesperson, responding to a query regarding China halting payments on three projects of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), said payments were made through a mechanism and details are with the relevant ministries.

“More specifically, we have not received any information from the Chinese side regarding halting funding for any project.”

Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal had said that China had halted payments as it was revising its financial mechanism.

According to a press release of the National Assembly Secretariat on December 11, Iqbal informed the 25th parliamentary committee meeting on CPEC that the Chinese side was reviewing the financial mechanism of these projects and work on them would restart after receiving approval from Beijing.