The Hague: On Monday Sending a strong message to Pakistan, members of the Indian delegation attending the hearing of Kulbhushan Jadhav case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague snubbed their Pakistani counterparts by refusing to shake hands with them.The gesture imitated the heightened tensions between the two sides in the wake of a brutal terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district on February 14.

Former solicitor general Harish Salve, who was representing India, said  "It is an unfortunate case where the life of an innocent Indian is at risk,". He further said, adding that Jadhav's custody in Pakistan without consular access should be declared unlawful "Pakistan's story is solely based on rhetoric and not facts,".

For the incident a video is going viral showing Pakistan's Attorney General Anwar Mansoor Khan going up to the Indian delegation ahead of the hearing and extending his hand as a greeting. Senior Indian diplomats Deepak Mittal, the Joint Secretary heading the Pakistan Division in the External Affairs Ministry, and Venu Rajamoney, India's Ambassador to The Netherlands, however, offered a curt namaskar (gesture with folded hands) in response.

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The attack in Pulwama district was masterminded and perpetrated by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). Meanwhile, India presented today its arguments in Kulbhushan Jadhav case, saying the trial of its national by a Pakistani military court "hopelessly failed" to satisfy even the minimum standards of due process. Jadhav (48) was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage. 

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