A bill that gives Kulbhushan the right of appeal. Passed in Parliament

Pakistan's National Assembly has passed a government-inspired bill to give the right to appeal to Kulbhushan Jadhav, an alleged Indian spy sentenced to death. A Pakistani military court has sentenced retired Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav, 51, to death in April 2017 on charges of espionage and spreading terrorism.

India had approached the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Pakistan's refusal to provide legal assistance to Jadhav and to challenge his death sentence. In response, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague in July, 2019 directed Pakistan to urgently review the verdicts and convictions of Jadhav and allow India to seek legal guidance on the issue.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has also directed Pakistan to provide a proper platform to appeal against the sentence passed on Jadhav. Pakistan's Law Minister Farooq Naseem said after the bill was passed that if the National Assembly of Pakistan had not passed the bill, India would have approached the UN Security Council on the issue and filed a defamation suit against Pakistan in the International Court of Justice.

"By passing the above bill, Pakistan has proved to the world that it is a responsible nation," he added. The National Assembly also passed 20 other bills, including the Election (Amendment) Bill.