NEW DELHI: India on Thursday accused Pakistan of denying unimpeded and unhindered consular access to Indian death row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav and said a new Pakistani law to facilitate his right to appeal his death sentence contains shortcomings.

Pakistan on Wednesday pushed through a bill during a joint session of Parliament to help Jadhav appeal against the death sentence given to him by a military court. The International Court of Justice (Review and Re-consideration) Act of 2021 is on the same lines as an ordinance issued last year to facilitate his right to appeal.

“Pakistan continues to deny unimpeded and unhindered consular access to Shri Jadhav and has failed to create an atmosphere in which a fair trial can be conducted,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said while reacting to the Pakistani law.

“The law simply codifies the shortcomings of the previous ordinance,” he added.

Bagchi said Pakistan enacted into law “the earlier ordinance that was ostensibly enacted to bring into effect the judgement of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case”.