Kulbhushan Yadav case in ICJ, Pakistan appoints Ad hoc judge
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ISLAMBAAD - Pakistan has finally decided to appoint former CJP Tassaduq Hussain Jillani as ad hoc judge in International Court of Justice on Kulbhushan Yadav case. The decision has been made after the government held consultations with all stakeholders, including the military.
“A summary has already been sent to the Prime Minister’s Office by the law department, wherein the names of Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jilani and senior lawyer Makhdoom Ali Khan were proposed. The government decided to appoint former CJ Jillani,” Express Tribune reported.
Bearing the sobriquet ‘the gentleman judge’ for his conduct, Jillani retired as Chief Justice of Pakistan on July 5, 2014. He was the successor to Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, who retired on December 11, 2013.
Legal experts with experience of international arbitration say although Jillani had a good reputation as a judge, even then Makhdoom Ali Khan has far more expertise in cases related to international arbitration.
Khan is involved with the Italian government and has previously represented eight different countries, including Iran, Turkey, and Sri Lanka, in international courts.
Another feather in the cap of Khan is that he also served as attorney general of Pakistan during Musharraf’s regime, during which the success rate in cases related to international arbitration was very high.
According to well-placed sources, a senior lawyer, who has been associated with the Sharif family’s legal team, played a key role in Justice Jilani’s appointment and the ICJ would be informed about the appointment later this month.
Moreover, Jillani is also a cousin of former foreign secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani.
While Pakistani officials are yet to officially announce the ad-hoc judge, a high-level meeting was held at the Attorney General’s office on Friday to mull a future strategy regarding the Jadhav case. Attendees included representatives of various departments.
Earlier, a senior official said Pakistan had requested that the matter of filing of written replies ought to be completed before the end of the year, adding that Pakistan is expected to give its memorial in December.
On the other hand, India submitted its 22 pages memorial to the ICJ on September 13.
The hearing of the case is expected to be fixed at the start of next year or end of this year.
