While the world is struggling to overcome a deadly pandemic, one country is still preoccupied in playing mischief and instigating conflicts. Not content with increasing aggression on the Line of Control (LoC), India is now undertaking several different measures to rile up Pakistan, which include contending that Pakistan is not complying with the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) July 2019 decision.

This claim, made by India’s legal counsel in the case, Harish Salve, is completely unfounded. The ICJ’s decision held that Pakistan will review and reconsider Jadhav’s conviction and provide consular access to India. The world is witness to Pakistan granting India consular access in September in compliance with the order. Jadhav has also been granted legal counsel and has been allowed to meet his family in the past. This is exemplary treatment doled out to a person accused of espionage and terrorism. The ICJ order granted for review and reconsideration according to Pakistan’s law, not for Jadhav to be declared innocent contrary to all evidence and repatriated back. Pakistan is well within its rights to dispense justice in accordance with the law.

This is not the only time this week that Indian officials have made baseless and divisive comments in order to instigate tensions. In an obvious attempt to start unrest, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has included regions of Gilgit-Baltistan and Muzaffarabad as part of its Jammu and Kashmir meteorological sub-division. A basic history lesson would reveal that this area has been administered by Pakistan and has asked for integration into the country several times. The move is an attempt to insult, but only shows how deranged ideologies have warped the perspectives of state officials in the neighbouring country.

Rather than pull these trifling hostilities to assert aggression, India would be better off trying to administrate its own sorry state of affairs. Quarantine in India has led to a spike in hate crimes and bigotry against Muslims, forced conversion of Muslims remains high and 3000 Muslims have been detained at various quarantine facilities in Delhi after over 40 days. Uprisings in Kashmir continue, despite the lockdown and the reports of coronavirus cases in the region. India should seek to resolve the strands of disunity within its own jurisdiction, rather than issue baseless and illegal assertions to incite conflict.