Chandrayaan and the need to Demilitarise Science in Pakistan
Instead of engaging in a space race with India, Pakistan should instead channel its energies on promoting a culture of science and innovation
The Conflict Law Centre is a unique portal at RSIL which is dedicated to the law of armed conflict. The CLC was founded in September 2015 and undertakes independent, rigorous, quality and in-depth research in order to enhance understanding of, and promote respect for, international humanitarian law. The Centre’s research papers, blogs, events and other outputs address current issues, stimulate debate, and examine under-explored topics.
Our research focuses on all aspects of an armed conflict, including recourse to the use of force (the jus ad bellum), the conduct of war (jus in bello), and post-conflict transition and reconstruction (jus post bellum). We provide authoritative analysis of these areas for a broad audience which includes the government, academics, civil society and students. The CLC also works closely with the Centre of International Law at National Defence University as a source of legal reference in order to support informed policy choices.
Instead of engaging in a space race with India, Pakistan should instead channel its energies on promoting a culture of science and innovation
India’s rise as a space power means that when war in the cosmos does inevitably occur, Pakistan will have already ceded the ultimate high ground of space.
This article busts two myths commonly held about the region – that it is occupied by Pakistan and that there are human rights violations being committed there akin to those in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir
The role of the diaspora from Azad Jammu & Kashmir in addressing the challenges faced by the region
Pakistan’s solidarity is crucial in drawing national and international attention to the Kashmiri freedom struggle.
The territorial and legal dispute over Gilgit Baltistan & Azad Kashmir has been a hindrance to significant socio-economic progress
This article provides a critical analysis of the constitutional status and political structure of Azad Jammu & Kashmir
This article explores the legality of extraterritorial sanctions and their impact on third states including Pakistan
This article analyses Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick to examine developments in air warfare and legal questions surrounding aerial warfare
This article discusses Pakistan’s exclusion in recognised forums on the Indian Ocean region despite being a prominent littoral country and how membership in these forums should be one of the country’s foreign policy priorities.
This article explores the ICC’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for Putin in light of immunity ratione personae, the precedent set with the Bashir judgment, and how it all looks from Pakistan
This article explores the use of nuclear power in outer space and the importance of protecting the environment in space
This article discusses the weaponisation of trade-related rules by states and the Security Exceptions clause under the GATT 1994
This article explores dangers of nuclear proliferation in light of Russia suspending its participation in New START
The CERD’s compromissory clause allowing States to bring disputes under the Convention to the ICJ is misused for strategic gains, rather than as a means of seeking redress.
This article explores how domestic law informs Pakistan’s nuclear responsiblities towards its citizens, as well as the wider international community
This article argues that, to counter the TTP, Pakistan must fully implement the National Action Plan (NAP), take a clear position against the group, and draw red lines with the Afghan Taliban.
This article argues that Pakistan and India should sit together in good faith to amend the Indus Waters Treaty
This article explores the evolution and impact of Pakistan’s policy in Afghanistan and suggests a way forward for the coming years
This article uncovers insights from Meta’s Oversight Board Cases on the conflict in Ethiopia
This article explores the role of social media in perpetuating violence and what can be done to hold Big Tech corporations accountable
This article explores how climate change might exacerbate the Sir Creek dispute between Pakistan and India
This blog argues that both liberals and reactionaries made fundamental errors in their approach to the security challenges that have faced the world since 2001
This article discusses the Gilgit Baltistan Order of 2018 and its many attendant issues – primary among these are those relating to the erosion of local participation in governance. It further discusses how it may be amended to remove these difficulties and enhance local involvement.
This article discusses Gilgit-Baltistan’s current constitutional crisis and how its vague nature has denied the people of Gilgit-Baltistan their right to self-determination.
This article discusses the need to distinguish the governance of Gilgit Baltistan from the Kashmir dispute and argues that the region should be mainstreamed as a province of Pakistan.
This article discusses the need for regional countries to employ inidigenous means to resolve the Kashmir issue, otherwise they risk exacerbating the effects of conflict and climate change which may culminate in future water wars
This piece argues that the Russian special military operation in Ukraine has entered a new phase that spells great danger for Ukraine and possibly the security of the world
This article traces the evolution of the refugee regime in Pakistan and explores the current status of refugees in the country.
This blog argues that defence spending is not always linked to military capability and has a political utility of its own
This article argues that nuclear arms control is a good idea and that India and Pakistan have a mutual interest in pursuing it
On the anniversary of the Fall of Kabul, Mary Hunter investigates the differential treatment by the UK government towards Ukrainian and Afghan refugees, with the former arriving in greater numbers more quickly and with more support, despite the fact that many Afghans are at risk because of direct British involvement in Afghanistan. She posits that this two-tier system and the greater urgency expressed by the British public rests upon a Eurocentric and colonial mindset, which prioritises Ukrainian lives above those of Afghans. Ultimately, she concludes that these disparities are unacceptable and that Afghans are equally as deserving of British support as Ukrainians.
This article focuses on the role of Indian security forces in using counter-terrorism measures as an excuse to commit acts of sexual violence against Kashmiri women and highlights the system of impunity that protects them from accountability.
A Republican, Reagan had come to power in 1981 as a hardline anti-Communist who was determined to re-assert American technological and military superiority after the gradual decline of the previous administration.
In this article, Alexander Lawson explores how Russia expected the conflict to unfold, the way it has in fact developed, and where things might go from here.
This article argues that trade with neighbors, including India, is essential for Pakistan if it wants to achieve sustainable economic growth
This article discusses whether resuming trade with India can open pathways of resolving intricate issues between the two countries.
This article discusses the plight of Pakistani detainees at Bagram and the recourse available to them under International Humanitarian Law (‘IHL’).
This article will focuses on the principle of distinction with regards to drone strikes and argues how drone warfare often fails to live up to this principle.
This article explores the international legal framework underlying economic sanctions and their efficacy as a tool of foreign policy
This article examines the potential impacts of the Russia Ukraine war on Pakistan’s trade
This article examines the legal aspects of the Russian invasion of Ukraine such as the questions of legality and the role of courts.
This article discusses the key aspects of landmine use in Pakistan, including its historical analysis and present-day situation with regards to Pakistan’s commitment to international treaties.
This article discusses the phenomenon of urban violence in Pakistan through the philosophical lens of Rousseau’s, Hobbes’s and Locke’s theories of the State.
This article discusses the Indian forces’ practice of burning down homes in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir and the ways in which doing so violates the laws of war
This article sheds light on India and Pakistan’s missing Prisoners of War (POWs) and suggests possible solutions for their return
This article discusses the use of starvation as a method of warfare and its status under IHL and ICL using the case studies of Yemen and South Sudan.
This article explores the relevance of legal status under IHL and challenges to the established categories of civilians/combatants. The article looks at the legal ramifications of possessing a primary status of combatant or civilian, before analysing the three-category approach adopted by the United States, and the implications of this approach.
Another year has passed since India abrogated Article 370 and ended Jammu and Kashmir’s special autonomous status, turning it into an annexed and federally-controlled territory. Since then, the restless region has seen continued human rights violations, demographic changes, and a push to delimit the territory in order to allow Assembly elections to take place. India claims it is providing economic development and promoting democracy in Jammu and Kashmir when in fact it continues to breach international law. India’s attempt to show the valley as one where Kashmiris are finally reaping the dividends of peace is a smokescreen for a region where everything is far from normal. This article will analyse India’s actions in the past year and argue that despite Modi’s attempt to hide what is going on from the international stage, India’s continued clampdowns and authoritarianism in Jammu and Kashmir must not go unnoticed.
At the time of writing, at least 198 people have been killed in Gaza in the worst violence seen in the area since 2014. There have been weeks of spiraling tensions after the threatened eviction of families in Sheikh Jarrah and clashes at the Al-Aqsa mosque which have led to 200 people being injured, with Israel firing rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades into crowds.
Death is an anticipated outcome of war and those who die during an armed conflict, combatant and civilian alike, remain protected by IHL. The laws of armed conflict allow for the burial of those killed during an armed conflict in accordance with their religious rites.
On 4th November, Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, launched a military operation against a non-state group, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), sparking a non-international armed conflict in the country. This offensive was undertaken after the TPLF attacked federal military units in the region
Kashmir Day marks a day of solidarity with the people of Jammu and Kashmir in their fight for self-determination against Indian occupation. The last year has been especially tumultuous in the valley with Kashmiris suffering under lockdown after lockdown in what remains one of the most militarised zones in the world. India has, since the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, acted in furtherance of its objective to annex the state to its territory.
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons entered into force on January 22, 2021 and is being celebrated by many as the dawn of a new nuclear order. The treaty is the first of its kind in that it comprehensively bans the development and possession of nuclear weapons and is a result of 50 years worth of attempts to curb the proliferation of such weapons. Its proponents argue that the treaty challenges the hegemony and moral exceptionalism of the states that continue to possess nuclear weapons
International law is best understood as a system of positive law that is embedded within culture. It is not removed from humans or human society nor does it exist in a vacuum separate from the social contexts within which it operates.
The conflict has garnered much media attention not only because of concerns that two states going to war in the midst of a global pandemic would exacerbate its effects, but also because of the geostrategic importance of the dispute.
On 24 December 2014, the Arms Trade Treaty (“ATT”) entered into force with the object of ‘establish[ing] the highest possible common international standards for regulating or improving the regulation of the international trade in conventional arms’ for the purpose of ‘reducing human suffering’.
The lack of a clear demarcation between terrorist incidents and sufficiently protracted violence by an organized armed group contributes to this difficulty. While the Sindh High Court attempted to grapple with these issues the judgment rendered falls short in adequately clarifying the law and its application in this particular case.
Prior to 2014, “foreign fighters” and “terrorists” represented separate categories of individuals that fell under the jurisdiction of different international law regimes, namely international humanitarian law and the international counter-terrorism regime. However, after the landmark UNSC Resolution 2178 (2014) was passed in response to the influx of third-state fighters in support of ISIL and Al-Qaeda…
After over 18 years of war in Afghanistan, the US and the Taliban, the two parties to the conflict i.e. a State and an Insurrectional Movement respectively, concluded the “Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan” (“Doha Accord”) with a view to end the war.[1] This article will engage in a two part inquiry. It will…
The first case of coronavirus in Indian-Occupied Kashmir was reported on March 20, 2020.[1] Conflict-affected regions such as the Kashmir valley are acutely vulnerable to the spread of the virus and there are concerns that this could lead to serious humanitarian consequences in the region. This vulnerability is due to the fact that prolonged unrest…
after growing hostilities between the US and Iran, President Trump threatened to attack Iran’s cultural sites. He tweeted that the US had identified 52 Iranian sites some of which were “at a very high level and important to Iran and the Iranian culture” warning that they would be hit if Tehran conducted any revenge attacks. The Pentagon has since ruled out the targeting of Iranian cultural sites with the Defense Secretary acknowledging that this would be a war crime.[1] This article will analyse the protection provided to cultural sites during an armed conflict in IHL and any possible repercussions under the law of state responsibility as well as international criminal law.
Countries are already utilizing artificial intelligence based weapons in armed conflicts and this use has changed the scope of warfare from being a solely human endeavor. For instance, the United States has operated robots named SWORDS (Special Weapons Observation Reconnaissance Direct Action System) in Afghanistan used to detect and disable improvised explosive devices. However, these…
After the killing of Qasem Soleimani, chief commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Quds Force, by US forces on January 3, 2020 in Iraq, the Iraqi Council of Representatives (“CoR”) passed a Resolution calling on the government to seek the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq.
Two Saudi Aramco oil facilities were attacked with drones, with the Houthis, a Yemeni rebel group engaged in a conflict against Saudi forces, claiming full responsibility. This was considered the biggest attack on any oil infrastructure since Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990.
The concept of safe zones has recently been much discussed following Turkey’s cross-border military operation against Kurdish-led forces in Northern Syria and its proclaimed intention to create a safe zone along the Syrian side of the border. This zone would prevent the flow of Syrian refugees into Turkey of which there are already 2.7 million.…
Iranian-US relations have been turbulent recently to say the least, and while we are yet to see whether there will be military consequences to these frayed ties, the economic effects on Iran are already being felt in the form of crippling sanctions. In July 2019, President Trump tweeted that Iran had “made a very big mistake” in shooting down a US military surveillance drone that had entered Iranian airspace on 20th June 2019.
“If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound ?” Following the recent armed stand-off between two nuclear-armed states with a combined population of 1.5 billion people earlier this year, the felling of 15 pine trees might seem the least of anyone’s problems. Not…
The UK has licensed over £4.7bn arms exports to the Saudis since they began bombing Yemen. This includes fighter jets and precision-guided bombs. The UK has also subcontracted BAE Systems, Britain’s biggest arms company to provide weapons and engineers to Saudi Arabia.
The US Presidential elections will be held in November 2020, but with party primaries around the corner, the Democrats are really feeling the heat. One candidate who stands out for her progressive and liberal approach is Senator Elizabeth Warren. She is currently making headlines for her special Green deal which proposes an investment of $2 trillion to promote clean, green and renewable technology for the US military.
President Trump revoked an Obama-era requirement to report on civilian deaths outside areas of active hostilities. This requirement obliged the Director of National Intelligence to report annually on civilians killed by U.S. drone strikes outside official war zones. It was instituted by Obama in 2016 to ‘promote accountability and encourage the minimising of civilian casualties’.