Islamabad, August 23: Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Thursday that he is hopeful about winning the case against India at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) involving alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav.

Qureshi, while talking to the media in Multan, told reporters that Pakistan has "solid evidence" against Kulbhushan Jadhav and that he is confident about his country winning the case in the ICJ.

Pakistan's foreign minister Qureshi said that Pakistan will try and present the matter and his country's stance on the issue as effectively as possible.

The ICJ on Wednesday had informed that it will hear the Kulbhushan Jadhav spy case in February 2019. Qureshi's comment comes a day after ICJ's announcement. The foreign minister added that the country (Pakistan) must be ready to take some bitter decisions. "We will try to move forward under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan," said Qureshi talking to the media.

Kulbhushan Jadhav was arrested by the Pakistani authorities from Balochistan, on March 3, 2016. He had entered Pakistan from Iran. India has maintained its position that Jadhav was wrongfully detained by the Pakistani police.

Pakistan alleges that Jadhav was an on-duty Indian Navy officer and was working for Indian Intelligence agency RAW (Research and Analysis Wing). Jadhav's case hearing took place in a military court and he was sentenced to death on charges of espionage and disruptive activities.

On May 8, 2017, Harish Salve led a team of Indian lawyers and filed an application before the ICJ seeking the suspension of the death sentence given to Kulbhushan Jadhav. The President of ICJ, after hearing this application, ordered a stay on the death sentence given to Jadhav.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 23, 2018 04:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).