New Delhi: The International Court of Justice (ICJ) said yesterday that Pakistan cannot hang Kulbhushan Jadhav for now. The World Court ordered Islamabad to give consular access to Jadhav.

“Pakistan shall take all measures to ensure that Jadhav is not hanged until a final decision by the court”, said ICJ Judge Ronny Abraham. “The circumstances of his arrest are in dispute… India should have been given consular access as per Vienna Convention.”

Pronouncing the court’s order, Abraham said the ICJ had jurisdiction in the matter. The top Court told Pakistan to take all possible measures to ensure that Jadhav is not executed before the International Court gives its final verdict. It also told Pakistan to give consular access to India.

With the first battle won at the International Court of Justice, former Solicitor General Harish Salve said India has two plans to get justice for the 46-year-old former Naval officer. One of the leading legal brains in the country, Salve had led the battery of lawyers to structure India’s case at the ICJ.

Talking of the road ahead, Salve said the ‘Plan A’ is the option to argue that such “violation of human rights must compel the man being released.”

The other option, he said, was to demand for an annulment of the death sentence. “Get him proper legal representation and then let him be tried in a manner acceptable to civilised society,” he added. After the verdict yesterday, Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted, “I assure the nation that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we will leave no stone unturned to save Kulbhushan Jadhav.”