International Law and the Policing of Gender Based Violence in Pakistan

Kamran Adil

Despite frailties of international law at international level where it has not been able to maintain international peace and security in the wake of Russia-Ukraine episode, international law is continuing to impact national law of Pakistan. In a latest case (titled as Mumtaz Bibi Case) that came up for hearing before Justice Babar Sattar of the Islamabad High Court, the international human rights law has been used to shape an important question of law that has frustrated many an attempt to protect and police rights of children especially minor girls in gender based violence cases that take many shapes like child marriages, forced marriages,
rapes (legalized as marriages) and habeas corpus litigation that have a girl’s
custody in question.