ISLAMABAD – International Law expert Ahmer Bilal Soofi Thursday said’Lawfare’ is replacing ‘warfare’ in current world arenas and Pakistan’scomplaintsagainst India are good example of using international laws for strategiccoercion.
He urged the legal fraternity and government officials to look intointernational disputes like Kashmir and Palestine with a legal approachinstead of just emotional attachment.
He stated this while addressing a Seminar on ‘Lawfare as a Tool ofStrategic Coercion: A Case Study of Mumbai Attacks’.
The Seminar was organized by the Research Society on International Law(RSIL). Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC) Gen. Zubair Hayatwas the Chief Guest.
Former Secretary Interior Syed Kamal Shah, former IGP Punjab ShaukatJaved, former Deputy High Commissioner to India Ambsdr (r) Afrasaib MehdiHashmi Qureshi and former DG Arms Control and Disarmament Affairs KhalidBanuri attended on special invitation. Representatives from the lawfraternity,diplomats and academicians were present, said a press release.In his address, Ahmer Bilal Soofi, discussed the case study of the 2008Mumbai Attacks and the legal avenues, pursued by India in its aftermath. Hehighlighted how in the era of globalization and emergence of internationallaw,lawfare has begun to be weaponized by States and as a nation Pakistan mustalso be equipped to avert such strategies being employed against it.
Soofi gave several examples of the use of lawfare in modern internationalrelations.
Subsequent to a thorough review of the legal documents concerning theAjmal Kasab case, Soofi discussed the need for a counter-narrative to bedeveloped by Pakistan on the subject based on a cogent legal analysis ofthe situation.
This would be based on assessing why India had withheld its cooperationleading to critical problems in the prosecution in Pakistan of thoseallegedly involved in the Mumbai Attacks, he added.
Prime amongst these was the ‘evidence’ which India had furnished whichwould, in fact, be inadmissible even in its own courts as it did notconform tothe basic laws of evidence in either country, he said.
Read Top Stories
Referring to Kashmir Day marked on February 5, Soofi noted how theIndian Government had employed advanced lawfare tactics to delegitimizethe genuine freedom struggle of the Kashmiri people and deny them theirright to self-determination.
Suggesting a future course of action, he recommended enhancing theMutual Legal Assistance Framework between the two countries, improvingthe capacity of concerned stakeholders, and highlighting the sacrifices andprogress Pakistan has made in the field of counter-terrorism.
Ahmer Bilal Soofi Pakistan and India would have to resolve these issuesto improve bilateral relations in line with Prime Minister Imran Khan’svision forpeace in the region.
Bilal Soofi’s talk was followed by a panel discussion wherein Ambassador(r) Afrasiab Mehdi Hashmi Qureshi which appreciated the efforts by RSIL andnoted that immediately after the Mumbai Attacks, India commencedanti-Pakistan propaganda at international fora and also briefed Ambassadorsfrom European, African, Middle Eastern and other States.
Syed Kamal Shah, former Secretary Interior noted that there was acriticalneed to highlight Indian abuses of human rights in the region. He said thatIndia’s insistence on only discussing terrorism at bilateral meetings onlyserved to hideits own human rights atrocities in the region.
He noted Pakistan must enhance its capabilities to effectively highlightsuchatrocities and bring India to account. In relation to the Mumbai trials, headdedthat Ajmal Kasab was issued a domicile from Uter Perdesh (UP) but India didnot entertain Pakistan’s request for inquiry into the matter.
He concluded bystating that the Indian stance lacks international credibility and shouldbefully exposed.Former Director General of Arms Control and Disarmament Affairs at theStrategic Planning Division Khalid Banuri lauded the efforts of theResearch Society of International Law in reaching out to the varioussegments of societyand for undertaking endeavours for the betterment of the country.
