Amid heightened tensions with Pakistan over the Pulwama terror attack, in which 40 CRPF jawans were martyred, Indian diplomats at the hearing of the Kulbhushan Jadhav case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) snubbed their Pakistani counterparts by refusing to shake hands with them.
A curt namaste with folded hands was all that the senior Indian diplomats Deepak Mittal, Joint Secretary heading the Pakistan Division in the External Affairs Ministry, and Venu Rajamoney, India's Ambassador to the Netherlands, offered when Pakistan's Attorney General Anwar Mansoor Khan wanted to shake hands ahead of the hearing at The Hague.
The incident occurred before the Indian team was to present their arguments in front of the ICJ. Mansoor, along with his delegation, had walked up to the Mittal with an extended hand. However, Mittal refused to shake his hand.
This is not the first time that India snubbed Pakistan with a Namaste. In 2017, an Indian diplomat refused to shake the hand of his Pakistan counterpart at the ICJ in The Hague for Jadhav's hearing.
Deepak Mittal had also declined to shake the hand of Mohammad Faisal, Pakistan's DG for South Asia and SAARC and gave a Namaste instead.
Mittal is the head of the Pakistan division of the Ministry of External Affairs.
Pakistani security forces allegedly arrested retired naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav in the Balochistan province in 2016 and a military court, in 2017, had sentenced him to death on the counts of espionage and terrorism citing that he is an Indian spy. Pakistan claimed that Jadhav entered the country illegally through Iran.
However, India said that Pakistan kidnapped Jadhav from Iran, where he ran some businesses after he left the Navy. India had moved the ICJ to out a stop to Jadhav's execution.
India Today reports that a 10-member bench of the ICJ at The Hague asked Pakistan not to execute him till the end of the case.
The tweet found a lot of support from Mittal's Twitter followers.
Bravo Amb @venurajamony.
— Rohit Bansal ?? (@theRohitBansal) February 18, 2019
Bravo @MEAIndia joint secretary Deepak Mittal.
Khoon se range haathon ko door se hi namaskar kar diya ??.@crpfindia martyrs would be blessing you for taking a stand at #ICJ. Unlike Bajwa hugger and Imran Khan chum @sherryontopp ☹️? pic.twitter.com/lHgScMUuup
Jt Secretary Foreign Affairs India
— Sampadsir (@Sampadsir1) February 19, 2019
Mr Deepak Mittal denied the Pakistani attorney general to shake hand! That's the treatment we should offer to all Pakistanis. pic.twitter.com/QJfRaL5avG
Diplomats have their way of talking. At the ICJ, both India’s envoy to Netherlands Venu Rajamony and MEA JS PAI Deepak Mittal refused to shake hands with the Pak side before the proceedings began. Customary Namaskar was offered. In mourning can’t shake hands with terror nation. pic.twitter.com/nI9YBNrqTy
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) February 18, 2019
Deepak Mittal, You are an Indian Hero!
— LCA Tejas (@Leopard212) February 18, 2019
This is a diplomatesq *One Tight Slap* pic.twitter.com/os3Hc3mo3y
Some people criticized Mittal
Indian Official Deepak Mittal ignored the handshake gesture by Pakistan's AG Anwar Mansoor Khan in International court during Kalboshan's hearing.
— Shafqat Ali Qureshi (@shafqat120) February 18, 2019
Small people having little mind and Little acts#ModiBehindPulwama pic.twitter.com/xfRE86ZhWO
Yet again indecorous and petty act by Indian delegation (Foreign Office Joint Secy Deepak Mittal and V D Sharma) to not shake hand with PAK delegation despite extended hand at @CIJ_ICJ #KulbhushanJadhavCase #Losers #India pic.twitter.com/S9MfALOXIS
— Gharidah Farooqi (@GFarooqi) February 18, 2019
Amid heightened tensions with Pakistan over the Pulwama terror attack, members of the Indian delegation at the hearing of the Kulbhushan Jadhav case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) snubbed their Pakistani counterparts by refusing to shake hands with them.
A curt namaste with folded hands was all that the senior Indian diplomats Deepak Mittal, Joint Secretary heading the Pakistan Division in the External Affairs Ministry, and Venu Rajamoney, India's Ambassador to the Netherlands, offered when Pakistan's Attorney General Anwar Mansoor Khan wanted to shake hands ahead of the hearing at The Hague.
