Indian diplomats refuse to shake hands with Pakistani delegates at ICJ

The recent Pulwama attack has triggered a massive outrage in the entire nation. Following the death of more than 40 CRPF personnel in a suicide explosion, the entire nation is seeking revenge against the handlers of this entire plan, currently hiding in Pakistan. Likewise, they’re also anticipating a positive result for India at the International Court of Justice, which is hearing the case of the ex-navy commander, Kulbhushan Jadhav, currently held in Pakistan over charges of ‘espionage’.

While advocate Harish Salve, representing India, minced no words in his criticism of the Pakistani allegations, the Indian diplomats made a gesture that went viral on the social media. According to news agency ANI, the Indian diplomats openly boycotted the Pakistanis, refusing to even shake hands with the Pakistani delegates present at the ICJ, as shown in the following tweet:-

Joint Secretary with Ministry of External Affairs Deepak Mittal was also present with the Indian delegation. According to the above-mentioned tweet, when Pakistani Attorney General Mansoor Khan came up and offered a handshake, Deepak Mittal refused the gesture in a polite but firm manner and responded with the Indian tradition of Namaste. The same was done by his colleague, who refused to shake hands with any of the Pakistani delegates.

For those unaware, Kulbhushan Jadhav is a retired navy officer who indulged in cargo trade in Iran. During one of such transactions, he was abducted by unidentified assailants and handed over to Pakistani authorities in 2015. Throwing all the ethics to the wind, a kangaroo court declared him guilty of spying for India and sentenced him to death. Following the arbitrary death sentence imposed, India approached the International Court of Justice, and successfully acquired a stay on the death sentence until a final verdict from ICJ is passed for the same.

To be honest, such a bold gesture that too at a diplomatic level, speaks volumes about the commitment that India is resorting to isolate Pakistan on the international stage. Despite multiple attacks committed by the Pakistani forces and terrorists on the Indian soil, Indian diplomats have been well known for their courteous gestures. However, the way that Deepak Mittal has responded to the handshake offered by the Pakistani delegates proves one thing for sure: India has stopped taking everything for granted.

This wasn’t the only insult Pakistan had to suffer on the opening day of the ICJ hearing. Harish Salve went hammer and tongs after Pakistan for arbitrarily holding Kulbhushan captive without proof. He exposed every chink in the Pakistani allegations that have been leveled against Kulbhushan Jadhav, as shown in the following tweets:-

It is heartening to see that the entire nation has taken a firm stand against Pakistan. The bold gesture of avoiding a handshake with the Pakistani delegates is suggestive of the fact that India is in no mood to let Pakistan go away with the kind of sin it has committed this time.