Namaste is enough! India snubs Pakistan at ICJ as Indian diplomats refuse to shake hands with other side

Indian diplomats snubbed the Pakistani officials at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Monday where the two countries were attending the proceedings in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case.

MEA joint secretary Deepak Mittal and  India’s envoy to Netherlands Venu Rajamonyon both refused to shake hands with Pakistani officials. Mittal ignored the hand offered by Pakistan's AG Anwar Mansoor Khan and replied with a customary 'Namaste' before presenting oral arguments.

When two country's officials were exchanging greetings before the hearing in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case, Anwar Mansoor Khan reached out to Deepak Mittal to shake his hand but the latter folded his hands to greet him with a namaskar.

This is the not he first time India has snubbed Pakistan at an international level with a 'Namaste'. In May 2017, a curt 'namaskar' was all that a senior Indian diplomat had to offer to an extended hand of a member of the Pakistani delegation at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), hearing the Kulbhushan Jadhav case.

India on Monday said the trial of its national Kulbhushan Jadhav by a Pakistani military court "hopelessly failed" to satisfy even the minimum standards of due process and requested the International Court of Justice to declare it "unlawful".

India's plea came as the top UN court began a four-day public hearing in the case of Jadhav, 48, who was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage. India, during the first day of the hearing, based its case on two broad issues -- breach of Vienna Convention on consular access and the process of resolution.

"It is an unfortunate case where the life of an innocent Indian is at risk," ex-solicitor general Harish Salve, who was representing India, said. 

"Pakistan's story is solely based on rhetoric and not facts," he said, adding that Jadhav's continued custody without consular access should be declared unlawful.

Jadhav's trial by a Pakistani military court "hopelessly failed to satisfy even the minimum standards of due process", Salve said.

No "credible evidence" was provided by Pakistan to show his involvement in any act of terrorism and Jadhav's purported confession clearly appeared to be "coerced", Salve said.

"There is no manner of doubt that Pakistan was using this as a propaganda tool. Pakistan was bound to grant consular access without delay," Salve said.