Islamic scholars from Pakistan and Afghanistan are being provided with specialised training to enhance the universal adoption of international humanitarian law in the context of Islamic laws.
The four-day training on "Islam and International Humanitarian Law" is being provided to 34 Islamic scholars—including seven females—from various universities across Pakistan and Afghanistan at the Federal Judicial Academy (FJA) in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The scholars will receive training on Islamic Humanitarian Law, Islamic Law of Siyar; relevance of Siyar and contemporary Muslim Ummah, protected persons and objects of Islamic Law, combatants and prisoners of war in Islamic Law, ICRC activities in Pakistan, protection of cultural property, command responsibility: IHL and Islam, enforcement mechanisms for IHL, Islamic law of Siyar and curricula of Madaris and universities, among others.
At the inauguration of the course, FJA Director General Hayat Ali Shah welcomed the training participants.
"Islam accords special place to humanitarian laws," he said, adding, "Let's not forget that the directions issued by the Holy Prophet (SAW) at the time of the Conquest of Makkah, the first charter of humanitarian law was constituted."
Regarding the training, he said that it was an important opportunity to ascertain similarities between the Geneva Convention agreements and Islamic laws.
He urged the training participants to disseminate the knowledge gained from this course in society.
Speaking on the occasion, Nicolas Lambert, head of the ICRC delegation, elaborated on the ICRC's activities in Pakistan.
"The ICRC and the FJA have identical objectives which bring both sides more close for service to humanity, and this training course is a good platform to explore the similarities in IHL and Islamic teachings on human rights," he remarked.
Sounding his optimism, he said, "This activity will further broaden the exposure of participants after detailed discussion on International and Islamic humanitarian laws."