UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has backed Libya's request to try Muammar Qadhafi's son, Saif Al-Islam, and former Libyan intelligence official Abdullah Al-Senussi in Libya instead of the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC).
"We hope that the request of the Libyan authorities to try these individuals will be considered positively in accordance with the complementary nature of the Court's jurisdiction," Pakistan's Ambassador Masood Khan told the UN Security Council in a debate on the situation in Libya.
At the height of violence between Qadhafi loyalists and opposition forces last year, an arrest warrant was issued for Saif Al-Islam Qadhafi by the International Criminal Court for charges of crimes against humanity against the Libyan people, for allegedly torturing and killing civilians, a charge that he has denied. After the overthrow of the regime, Qadhafi was arrested on 19 November 2011 in southern Libya and flown to Zintan by plane, where he continues to be detained.
Ambassador Masood Khan said the Libyan Government must ensure that trials of those individuals, if they were conducted in Libya, would be fair.
As Libya continued to face daunting challenges, the Pakistani envoy said that he was confident that Libya's newly elected government would succeed. Among pressing issues that needed attention was halting the spread of weapons and working towards reconciliation.
Regarding other alleged crimes, Khan said it was essential to conduct thorough investigations regardless of which side was accused of committing them. Formulating a comprehensive justice strategy would underpin efforts to ensure peace and stability. Pakistan fully supported the well-being of the people of Libya, he added.
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