Dr. Sikander Ahmed Shah Explores Pakistan's Relationship with International Law in Thought-Provoking Lecture at CSSPR

On December 21, 2024 Dr. Sikander Ahmed Shah delivered a lecture at the Centre for Security, Strategy and Policy Research (CSSPR) at the University of Lahore (UOL), organized by Dr. Asif Amin, an Assistant Professor at the UOL and Research Fellow at the CSSPR, focusing on Pakistan's relationship with international law and its implications for human rights. After introducing the various sources of international law, Dr. Shah discussed how different legal systems incorporate international law, comparing monist and dualist approaches, and highlighted Pakistan’s dualist framework, which requires implementing legislation for international commitments to take effect domestically. He went on to emphasize the dual role of international law—as a tool for enforcing human rights standards and as a subject of critique to ensure these standards align with national realities. The talk further highlighted how international legal principles, such as non-refoulement and socio-economic rights, are both opportunities and challenges for countries like Pakistan, where legal obligations often clash with systemic inequities and political inertia.
 

The lecture also tackled critical issues like corporate accountability in human rights violations, from environmental harm to labor exploitation, stressing the urgency of holding both domestic and global actors responsible. Dr. Shah underscored the inseparability of socio-economic rights—employment, housing, and healthcare—from broader human rights agendas, framing them as essential to dismantling structural inequality. Addressing marginalized communities, particularly refugees and ethnic minorities, Dr. Shah called for inclusive policies that transform these groups from subjects of exclusion into active contributors to Pakistan’s socio-economic fabric. This inclusivity, he argued, is not merely moral but essential for fostering national cohesion and sustainable development.
 

Dr. Shah concluded by advocating for an inclusive federal framework that acknowledges group rights alongside individual freedoms. Dr. Shah critiqued the politicization of religion and ethnicity in Pakistan, advocating instead for inclusive federalism that recognizes the critical role of the nexus between business, human rights, and religious freedoms in promoting and fostering national cohesion. Building upon this idea, he stressed the importance of leveraging opportunities like CPEC to promote equitable growth while protecting ethnic and religious minorities. Finally, linking refugee integration to economic potential, he proposed that a rights-based approach to immigration and refugee management, aligned with human rights principles, could benefit Pakistan socially and economically by fostering empowerment and inclusivity.