Caretaker Federal Law Minister Ahmer Bilal Soofi asked ministry officials to obtain copy of the judgment delivered by Peshawar High Court (PHC) chief justice whereby drone strikes were declared a violation of international law.
He further instructed officials to examine the judgment in detail.
Earlier, a high-level meeting was held to examine legal aspects of the drones’ issue. In this regard, the white paper presumably belonging to the United States (US) Government, available on NBC website came under discussion.
The meeting was chaired by Soofi and senior officials from Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Law participated.
The proceeding with regards to drone matters pending in Lahore High Court (LHC) also came under discussion. The case being heard by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in which internment regulations are under consideration was also discussed as the same case may have a profound impact on Pakistan’s legal position over the conflict in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) & PATA, consequently affecting Pakistan’s policy in relation to drone strikes.
The law minister instructed officials of the ministry to examine legal aspects of the US position and also assess its impact on the position the federation has to adopt before international diplomatic forums and also before Pakistan’s superior courts.
It was particularly pointed out that the US is treating any person who has hostile intentions towards the US government as its enemy, including US citizens. This position has been approved by the US Supreme Court as well.
The use of drones violates international law and the ministry intends to examine in detail the legal basis for justification of drone strikes.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also stated that they are reviewing the said paper.
It is expected that the said exercise will be completed soon and findings will be presented to the new elected government as a legal assessment for it to take an appropriate political position.
