Mazari highlights changing HR paradigm

Islamabad : Federal Minister for Human Rights Dr. Shereen Mazari on Thursday said that International Relation (IR) is a dynamic and cross cutting discipline and it needs to be predictive in nature while keeping in view the academic transformation to the pace of fast moving world in lieu of international relations.

She was addressing a seminar at Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) Islamabad organised by Varsity’s School of Politics and International Relations (SPIR) to commemorate “the 100 years of International Relations as academic discipline”.

Dr Mazari insisted that compartmentalization of IR might make it restrictive but there is an adherent plurality in the discipline and it has to be taken into account parallel to foreign policies of world actors.

She recalled that the country needs to have pro-active human rights diplomacy to project our commitments to International obligations.

The minister highlighted that the changing human rights paradigm warrants accounting for non-state actors such as the civil society, business community and corporations, which are important stakeholders in terms of human rights diplomacy.

Dr Mazari Said that International Relation is changing very fast whereas discipline of International Relations is trying to chase it, adding that civilians became part of war after the introduction of air warfare during second world war. It was no more business of generals only.

She further said the international system used to be anarchic but now many international regimes related to trade, finance is part of it. The concept like anarchic system and states are sovereign is outdated now.

She further said that the international system kept on changing from balance of power to bi polarity, but discipline remained behind. “The League of Nation accepted colonization, but United Nations developed concepts of right to self-determination and decolonization”, she said adding that international relations are cross disciplinary involving economics, politics and society.

She also mentioned that Yesterday India passed a Citizenship bill which is new example of fascist regime. She also said that Pakistan is facing threat of war in form of use of cluster bombs on line of control and Balakot surgical strike by India.

While highlighting some key achievements of incumbent government especially in term of stabilizing country’s foreign relations, Dr Mazari said “the government had prioritized economic and social development and the country wanted to establish peaceful relations with all neighbouring countries, the opening of the Kartarpur border being a prime example in that regard”.

The minister recalled that Pakistan’s relationship with the Arabs and Iran also being strengthened very rapidly, adding that both sides are trying to forget and their past sectarian proxies and make some certain sort of policies to move forward in the future.

While pointing towards a specific democratic era of the past, Dr Mazari that in the past the militant landscape was even more as due to Pakistan relations with Arab, some Shah of Iran had annoyed because they deemed these relationships (Pakistan-Arab) would not prove strategically worthy.

In his address, Vice Chancellor of QAU Dr. Syed Muhammad Ali thanked all the participants for their esteemed presence for the conference and appreciated the efforts of SPIR in organizing the conference. He further reiterated the resolve of QAU being the flag-bearer institution of taking initiatives in academics.

Dr. Nazir Hussain from SPIR talked about prospects of combining theory and practice. He emphasized on the importance of culture, religion, mentality, social behaviour, people and society in the discipline of IR.

Cultural attaché at the Ukrainian embassy Islamabad Professor Olena urged that foreign policy should be made the instrument of long term and far sighted strategic vision and diplomatic calculus.

She urged that foreign policy should be made the instrument of long term and far sighted strategic vision and diplomatic calculus.

The academicians from different universities participated in the event including Dr. Muhammad Waseem from LUMS, Dr. Moeed Yousaf ,Director Strategic Planning, Dr. Hussain Shaheed Soherwordi from Peshawar University, Dr. Tughral Yamin from NUST, Dr. Mehas Majeed Khan from Peshawar University, Dr. Naeem Ahmad from University of Karachi, Dr. Adnan Sarwar Khan from NUML, Dr. Rabia Akhtar from UoL and Dr. Zafar Nawaz Jaspal from QAU.