Daily Times

Federal Minister for Human Rights Dr Shereen Mazari on Thursday said that international relations (IR) is a dynamic and cross-cutting discipline and it needs to be predictive in nature while keeping in view the academic transformation to the pace of fast moving world in lieu of international relations.

She was addressing a seminar at Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) Islamabad organized by Varsity’s School of Politics and International Relations (SPIR) to commemorate “the 100 years of International Relations as academic discipline”.

Dr Mazari insisted that compartmentalization of IR might make it restrictive but there is an adherent plurality in the discipline and it has to be taken into account parallel to foreign policies of world actors. She recalled that the country needs to have pro-active human rights diplomacy to project our commitments to International obligations.

The minister highlighted that the changing human rights paradigm warrants accounting for non-state actors such as the civil society, business community and corporations, which are important stakeholders in terms of human rights diplomacy.

Dr Mazari Said that International Relation is changing very fast whereas discipline of International Relations is trying to chase it, adding that civilians became part of war after the introduction of air warfare during second world war. It was no more business of generals only.

She further said the international system used to be anarchic but now many international regimes related to trade, finance is part of it.

She further said that the international system kept on changing from balance of power to bipolarity, but discipline remained behind. “The League of Nation accepted colonization, but United Nations developed concepts of right to self-determination and decolonization”, she said adding that international relations are cross disciplinary involving economics, politics and society.

She also mentioned that Yesterday India passed a Citizenship bill which is new example of fascist regime. She also said that Pakistan is facing threat of war in form of use of cluster bombs on line of control and Balakot surgical strike by India.