January 29, 2009
 

Ed Royce - "Let the ICJ try Mumbai terrorists"

Ed Royce, a member of the USA Congress, has given a radical suggestion - that of trying the terrorists responsible for the terror attacks in Mumbai in November 2008 at the International Court of Justice.

He wants the terrorists to face trial in a court that his own country has little faith in. The USA has so far twice withdrawn from the jurisdiction of the ICJ - the compulsory jurisdiction in 1985 and the optional protocol in 2005.

Pakistan has now apparently come to the conclusion that the attacks were planned outside Pakistan. This implies two things: Pakistan isn't going to handover anyone anywhere, and hence there is no question of any chargesheet/trial.

The attacks in Mumbai were on Indian soil. Now that Pakistan isn't going to do anything about it, David Miliband's suggestion that Pakistan courts get into the act is obviously no longer applicable.

The time for subtle pressure on Pakistan is over. A trial by the ICJ is going to take forever, if at all Pakistan is a signatory/member state. If it isn't, we've been taken for a nice ride by Ed Royce. If it is, there're multiple ways to circumvent the ICJ's jurisdiction, one of them being a withdrawal. i.e. take the bat & ball and go home after scoring a duck!

Labels: mumbai terrorism 200811, pakistan, terrorism, usa