States obligations on Terrorism and Anti-Terrorism laws in Pakistan: An Overview

Abstract

The growing debate on terrorism is sensitive, and its effects are dreadful. States are under international legal obligations to respect, protect and fulfill people's basic human rights without discrimination and distinction.States are required to remove the effects of terrorism, which are outrageous and alarming. In this context, this article focuses on terrorism and International law. It aims to analyze provisions of international law pertaining to terrorism and to present ways to establish universal peace. It analyses the relevant United Nations (UN) resolution sand international legal documents to evaluate the States' obligations. It also analyses the legislation of Pakistan on terrorism as a case study for identifying the lacuna's and loopholes in the existing legal framework. Based on the legal framework, the paper elaborates on the obligations of states in relation to terrorism. It argues that laws on terrorism in Pakistan are sufficient. However, there is needed to implement laws effectively in order to meet growing challenges. There is still a need for improvement in the implementation mechanism pertaining to counter-terrorism measures taken by Pakistan. The line of argument is that states must conform to norms of international law in practical terms, and universal peace can only be established if social justice is guaranteed and human rights protection at every level is ensured.