US attacks inside other countries criticised by ICJ
By Sher Baz Khan
ISLAMABAD, March 7: The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) has said that the United States is violating international laws and the UN charter and trampling sovereignty of other nations by striking targets inside other countries.
“The UN charter guarantees full sovereignty to all the nations,” said Prof Vitit Muntarbhorn of the ICJ Eminent Jurists Panel.
He was replying to a question about the legality of and justification for US air strikes inside other countries in pursuit of so-called terrorists after the 9/11.
Members of the panel were speaking at a press conference at the office of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) here on Wednesday.
They shared their views with media after holding talks with the secretary of interior, secretary of the ministry of law, justice and human rights, director-general of the National Crisis Management Cell, secretary of the Law and Justice Commission and the additional secretary of the ministry of foreign affairs on issues of enforced disappearances, human rights violations in tribal areas and Balochistan in the name of combating terrorists and preventing rapid Talibanisation in Fata.
The government officials refused to accept allegations relating to disappearances and other rights violations in their talks with members of the panel.
When asked what would members of the panel do in view of the fact that a majority of human rights violations in Pakistan, including enforced disappearances, were by-products of policies pursued by Washington after 9/11, Justice Chaskalson said that the commission would meet US officials and members of civil society to draw their attention to the problem.
The panel members were told that being under extreme pressure from the US to “do more,” the Pakistan government had, on many occasions, denied basic rights to their citizens.
The ICJ is currently holding global hearings on human rights violations after 9/11 and it would release its report by the end of the year.
Mr Chaskalson said that Pakistani authorities had told the panel that they had conducted air strikes against terrorists in Balochistan. He, however, said that it was a matter that needed to be further investigated to assess whether there was a political struggle in Balochistan or what the Pakistan authorities were saying was correct.
They expressed concern over the resurgence of Taliban in tribal areas.
They said that cases of terrorism and counter-terrorism had a profound impact on Pakistan’s society, its institutions and the legal fabric of Pakistan. “This is accentuated by the geo-strategic location of Pakistan which is bordered by numerous flashpoints, especially the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan. There are significant trans-frontier implications for human rights and regional security.”
Members of the panel recognised that there was serious and acute threat of terrorism in Pakistan, as evidenced by a sharp increase in bomb explosions and suicide attacks on hotels, court buildings, judges and women lawmakers.
They were worried about the situation created by acts of terrorism in Pakistan and its impact on human rights situation in the country. Mr Chaskalson observed that serious allegations had been levelled at the hearing by members of intelligentsia about the conduct of security forces.
“Of particular concern were accounts of a practice of detaining suspects without warrants, holding the detainees incommunicado for long periods and withholding from families information about detainees and when, by whom and for what reason they are being detained,” he observed.
