Mehdi Hasan, chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, has said that there is a possibility that Kulbhushan Jadhav is not hanged and that he can be exchanged with a Pakistani in India's confinement

The Pakistani government calls Kulbhushan Jadhav a spy in India, while India says that he is a former naval officer and businessman. Mehndi Hasan, chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, while talking to the BBC over phone from Lahore said that there has been a demand in many circles of Pakistan not to hang Jadhav.

Mehdi Hasan also said that India has the legal right to file a review petition on behalf of Kulbhushan Jadhav against his execution.

Pakistan said on Wednesday that Kulbhushan Jadhav has refused to appeal against his execution.

Jadhav's appeal is also pending before the President of Pakistan.

India had rejected Pakistan's claim of not filing Jadhav's appeal, saying that it was part of the same farce of Pakistan 'the game he has been creating for the last four years'.

India says that Pakistan has forced Kulbhushan Jadhav not to file a review petition.

Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Pakistani court in 2017 in espionage and other cases.

India appealed to the International Court of Justice in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case to release the Indian citizen.

Indian High Commission Also Has The Right To Petition

After the hearing, in 2019, the international court had asked Pakistan to look into Jadhav's death sentence and give him consular access. After this, the officials of the Indian High Commission were also met with Jadhav. But India said that there were many obstacles in it. The chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said that many Pakistani legals have also given their opinion on India's right to file an appeal on behalf of Indian citizen Kulbhushan Jadhav.

The reconsideration petition can be filed by Kulbhushan Jadhav himself or any of his legal representatives or the High Commission of India based in Islamabad.

Even if Pakistan agrees, then why does India not want to do this, when asked, Mehdi Hassan says, "I think India wants to keep this matter 'pending'. But the reason for this? Till then, The case may get a little cold and the feelings about it in the country will also be reduced. "

He said that in these circumstances some way can be found out.

Mehdi Hassan said that as a human rights activist, he is against the execution of hanging anyway.

So Far What Happened In This Case

Pakistan claims about Kulbhushan Jadhav that he is a current Indian Navy officer who was arrested in 2016 from Baluchistan, Pakistan. Pakistan has been accusing India for a long time that it helps anti-Pakistan extremist groups operating in Baluchistan.

India has been denying these allegations and about Kulbhushan Jadhav, India says that he is a retired officer and he went to Iran in connection with his business and was abducted on the Pakistan-Iran border.

A military court in Pakistan sentenced Kulbhushan Jadhav to death in April 2017 on charges of espionage and terrorism.

Kulbhushan Jadhav, as hinted by Mehdi Hassan, could be swapped with  Colonel – Zahir Habib who went missing in Nepal allegedly taken by the Indian secret service. Pakistan had blamed ‘hostile agencies’ for the disappearance of Col Habib Zahir who went missing from the city of Lumbini in April 2017.

Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Habib Zahir was part of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence. Investigations by Pakistan revealed that Zahir was following up on an offer in Nepal to work with an international firm known as Strategic Solutions Consultancy.

In May 2017, India approached the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against this decision and demanded that Kulbhushan Jadhav must not be punished and his release ordered.