ISLAMABAD: In a troubling shift that signals a significant escalation in regional security dynamics, recent Pakistan-India military operations have intensified concerns over accountability, adherence to international humanitarian law, and the ethical ramifications of deploying autonomous systems in civilian-dense environments.
This was the outcome of the discussion at a seminar on ‘Legal and Ethical Dimensions of Autonomous Weapon Systems’ on Wednesday organised by the School of International Law (SIL).
The speakers, including legal experts, warned that potentially dangerous precedents were being set which could redefine the rules of engagement and call into question the fundamental principles of war.
Human rights lawyer and PhD scholar at the Tilburg Institute for Law, Technology and Society Aimen Taimur emphasised the legal imperative of maintaining meaningful human control over the use of force.
“Fifth-generation warfare is not just fought with machines but with decisions made in milliseconds,” she pointed out, adding that, “the real question is whether our legal systems can keep pace with weapons that think faster than accountability can catch up”.
The conversation took on added urgency in light of recent reports that India deployed loitering munitions inside Pakistani airspace earlier this month, targeting air defence infrastructure across multiple cities.
“When autonomous weapons are deployed across borders into sovereign states without accountability, we are not only testing the limits of international law, we are quietly rewriting them,” observed Aimen Taimur.
She said Pakistan could not afford to sit on the sidelines while technological powerhouses were rewriting the rules of future warfare.
“If we do not respond by strengthening our legal frameworks and demanding accountability through every available forum, we risk being left behind in a conflict landscape where speed, automation and ambiguity dominate the rules of engagement,” she said.
Legal expert Nida Tareen said the seminar provided a critical look at how increasing autonomy in military systems challenged existing legal norms under international humanitarian law.
The speakers highlighted the need for clear legal frameworks and informed public debate as technology continues to evolve faster than the rules that govern it.
Those who spoke in the seminar included retired Supreme Court judge Mushir Alam, retired Air Commodore Khalid Banuri and Hassan Ali Raza, advocate.
Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2025
