February 15, 2006	Wednesday	Muharram 16, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, Feb 14: The Supreme Court was requested on Tuesday to direct the government to move the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against countries where blasphemous cartoons were published and to recall ambassadors, from the countries.

Invoking the apex court’s original jurisdiction under fundamental rights, a constitutional petition was filed by Karachi-based lawyer Maulvi Iqbal Haider, stating that the government had failed to perform its obligatory duty of approaching the ICJ.

Pakistan, being a Muslim member of the United Nations, could move the ICJ under the UN Charter and therefore, the apex court should direct the government to file a case on behalf of Pakistani citizens, the petition said.

The federal government and secretary of the ministry of law and justice are respondents in the petition which terms the matter of great public importance as it hurt sentiments of over a billion followers of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him).

The petition also urged the court to direct the government to sever diplomatic ties by recalling ambassadors from countries where the cartoons were published.

Citing examples of Libya, Saudia Arabia, Syria and Indonesia, which recalled their ambassadors from these states, he said that the cartoons’ publication was a flagrant violation of many international laws and covenants, like the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) and the Code of International Human Rights as well as judgments of many European courts.