UNITED NATIONS, March 17: Pakistan on Sunday called for the establishment of International Criminal Tribunal to bring to justice all those responsible for the ghastly crimes in the Indian State of Gujarat.

Speaking at the inaugural meeting of the 47th session of the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, the leader of Pakistan delegation Nilofer Bakhtiar, advisor to prime minister on women development, social welfare and special education, said that when the world was celebrating Women Day last year, “the forces of hate were playing havoc with Muslim women in the Indian State of Gujarat”.

Ms Bakhtiar said: “The violence lasted for months and left hundreds of women dead, gang raped and battered.”

She said: “As in other instances of genocidal actions and crimes against humanity, we believe that International Criminal Tribunal should be established to bring to justice those responsible for the ghastly crimes in Gujarat.”

India’s power should not be allowed to obstruct the course of justice, she added. She informed the international community that empowerment of women in all areas of national life had been a high priority for Pakistan.

The Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995, which put women at the centre of global development agenda, constituted the centrepiece of Pakistan’s national action plan for women. It draws inspiration from the Constitution of Pakistan, the Beijing Platform for Action and the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

Highlighting Pakistan’s achievements before the commission, she said that ratification of ILO core Convention 100 on equal remuneration for men and women; promulgation of the Control of Human Trafficking Ordinance; ratification of the SAARC convention on the Prevention of Trafficking Women and Children; amendments to Pakistan Citizenship Act 1951, giving children of Pakistani women married to foreigners the right to Pakistan nationality; a national policy launched to complement the national plan of action were landmarks of Islamabad in the field of women empowerment and safeguarding their rights. Ms Bakhtiar said that devolution plan was introduced to give “power to the people”, through revitalization of local bodies.—APP