ISLAMABAD: Pakistan filed an application before the International Court of Justice at The Hague this afternoon [May 11] under the Genocide Convention of 1948 praying the Court to forbid India from transferring any Pakistani prisoners of war to Bangladesh for trial on charges of genocide.

This was stated here tonight in a statement by a spokesman of the Pakistan Foreign Office. The application states that, if at all there is any ground for trials to be held, then under the said Convention Pakistan has exclusive jurisdiction to hold such trials. The spokesman said that the Court has also been requested to declare that the process of repatriation of prisoners of war and civilian internees in Indian custody should not be interrupted or delayed.

The Attorney-General of Pakistan, Mr Yahya Bakhtiar, who flew to The Hague last night, will represent Pakistan in this regard. Besides, Government of Pakistan has chosen Chaudhry Mohammad Zafrullah Khan as ad hoc judge in the application. Replying to a question, the spokesman said that Pakistan decided to approach the International Court of Justice when other avenues did not prove successful. — News agencies

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2023