Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Adviser to Prime Minister on National Security Lieutenant. General (r) Nasir Khan Janjua has said Pakistan is a responsible country and is committed to its obligations under international law.

The Lt Gen was speaking on Wednesday at a launch of two publications including “Understanding International Humanitarian Law” and “Preventive Detention”.

The ceremony was organised jointly by the Research Society on International Law (RSIL) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Speaking on the occasion, Janjua said that he had led the operation of Rahay Haq in Swat in 2007 and set down guidelines for the operations. At that time, he added, the Pakistan Army had adopted a strategy where safeguarding the people was the topmost priority.

He said that even though Mullah Fazulullah was killing innocent people, the Pakistan Army did not use force blindly, adding that the army did not aim to take revenge on those uninvolved in aggression. “It was my humanitarian law, adopted at the operation,” he affirmed.

He said that Pakistani soldiers have pain in their hearts for the nation and defended the establishment of military courts, saying that it was a way to punish the terrorists.

General Janjua appreciated the role of the ICRC in wartime and in peaceful times and said that they had great a understanding of the work they had to do. He asserted that people needed food, education, and health facilities as they were striving for their basic needs.

Reto Stocker, Head of ICRC delegation, said that people’s suffering could be handled through humanitarian principles. He said that the ICRC was committed towards their assigned work. They respect the dignity of human lives even during difficult times of conflict and violence.

RSIL President Ahmer Bilal Soofi said there was a need to raise awareness regarding international treaties and obligations adopted by Pakistan.