ISLAMABAD, July 5: Experts and civil society members here on Wednesday called upon Pakistan to ratify the International Criminal Court (ICC) as it would help the country in streamlining its own laws according to international standards, making them more transparent and effective.

They shared these views at a half-day consultation on ICC organised by the Society for the Protection of the Rights of Child (SPARC).

Regional Experts and Coordinator Asian Network ICC, Ahmed Ziauddin, said that over 170 million people had been perished in 250 conflicts over the last century around the world and yet no one had been held responsible or made accountable for committing the worst crimes against humanity. He said that the time had come that the nations of the world should ratify the ICC, which brought war criminals to justice and ensured a safe future for humanity.

Giving an overview of the ICC and its structure, he said the ICC was for the victims and provided justice to the victims by giving them an opportunity to take part in the proceedings and speak on their own behalf. He emphasized and urged Pakistan to sign and ratify the ICC to bring its own laws at par with international standards and make them more transparent.

One of the important aspects of signing and ratifying the ICC was that a case could be instituted against any individual regardless of his/her status and stature, if found committing crimes against humanity, he added.

Coordinator of the Pakistan Coalition for International Criminal Court (PCICC), Iqbal Dehto, said that it was in the interest of the people of Pakistan to ratify ICC. He said PCICC was a network of like-minded NGOs and civil society organisations lobbying with the government for the ratification of the ICC.

Since 2002, he said, the network had carried out a number of activities to create awareness about ICC among lawyers, parliamentarians, media and NGOs.