Collapsing Dreams, ICC & ICJ, by, Tahir Ahmed Bhatti

After absorbing the latest global updates regarding the International Criminal Court, I retreated into my relaxed contemplations, where I found myself making connections and associations. Like many, I tend to think and dream in my native language. In this state, a particular line of verse kept resurfacing in my mind repeatedly.

ٹوٹتے جا رہے ہیں خواب سبھی

Which translates to:
Dream after dream, they’re all crumbling away.

After the league of nations and during the early decades of its inception, UN could be blamed to be a reality. But when the use or more precisely speaking misuse of VETO became a routine matter this reality of UN started tot transform into a dream and after it’s VETO oriented role supported and patronized by then US president even this dream was transformed into a nightmare. Around this nightmare the overall  international scenario, precipitation of blocks and emergence of new interests in different regions played such a  havoc with humanity that this nightmare became a routine matter again. That United Nations organization UNO devised some very attractive and practical toys for the third world nations like UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF and UNHCR etc etc and their subsequent projects in third world and ‘not haves’ countries. Behind these well camouflaged instruments the main body like General Assembly and the Security Council continued to VETO the international human rights, globally recognized social ethics and quite understandable national sovereignty of the countries, having no instrument like VETO power. Although the unbiased minds and hearts were never able to understand that how 5-7 countries of the world can decide the fate of other 150 Countries of the world, who in principle are their partners and colleagues and members of the same body. That body was supposed to be the United Nations and who in reality played the most disgusting role of discrimination.  But this discriminating system was required and supported by the VETO powers. Coming towards the other dream that is the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court. Good luck or Bad luck with these institutions is that their headquarters are not situated in the USA and this International Court of Justice only have matters at hand to deal with. Secondly, it has no availability of disguises like UNESCO or UNICEF to hide behind. The prime ministers of Netherlands and Belgium  have not developed the taste of international nose poking as is normal with the US president.  The practical host country has developed a reputation of non-interference in ICJ affairs and they take pride in that. On the other hand, if American Senators and Presidents don’t indulge with UN affairs, they feel their designated Job is not properly done. With this dichotomy  , these two organizations are working in last 50 years. The dismay of International Criminal Court is highlighted by the recent outcome of its Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan and his investigation report on Gaza. The judicial investigations were conducted with full observation of legal requirements and diplomatic prerequisites but the atrocities were so blatant that they were being felt all over the world.  The human conscious is not duty bound to American perceptions or Israeli media statements . The international court of justice and international criminal court cannot put the upside of legal procedures and international jurisprudence down , just to please and satisfy the thoughts and aspirations of USA or Israel. Secondly , if interference in the supreme court of USA or any supreme court of the world is not justifiable and perceived to be a denial to justice then how on earth these senators of USA are playing a positive role in international state of affairs ? What they are doing is that they want to expose international criminal court as they have done with UNO . In the eyes of international  intelligencia , UN has lost its worth , even more than the league of nations . Luckily ICJ and ICC have retained and sustained the judicial grace in last five decades . As it is taught in the syllabus books that in best kept democracies, Judiciary is always independent of executives . And now the international chief executive, USA is interfering in international judiciary. Kareem khan is just chief prosecutor of that international judiciary and these threatening letters should be addressed to the president of international court of justice and this all establishment in the Hague should be baptized on the hand of president of USA or much better at the hands of Netanyahu . This should be the proper course of action because after that , all should be stark naked . 

No UN is required for 175 countries of the world who are serving the purpose of VETO power countries .

And no international court of justice should be there who can ditch away its chief prosecutor due to threatening letters of some American senators . 

And these senators are writing when the case at hand is against Israel. Otherwise Kareem khan hasn’t investigated just this case , in his tenure and for that matter investigation department of ICC has never received such written threats by senators of USA while performing their duties . So its better to dissolve these bodies as they are not serving their purpose. World is already fighting and the fire is already burning . There isn’t any good or bad fire . And Kareem khan is only doing what students of USA are demanding to do . There you are using force against your own youth , but we are yet to see when your senators would write some threatening letters to the attorney generals of the USA and if you do so , I wonder whether the nines of supreme court would sit silently? So as i said earlier , the dreams are being shattered one by one . This is also a great demolish , even greater than the demolishing in Gaza . People get killed , could be wronged but they know at least where to go for the legal remedy. After this threatening to Kareem khan and his family , you are bombing that place where people come with their grievances . This is something utterly intolerable.