Mine ban policy overview

Policy

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan has not acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty. In April 2011, an official from the Pakistan Foreign Office stated that “Pakistan endorses the efforts of European countries in protecting the civilians from the menace of landmines, however, our strategic location and Indian context would not allow us to support the landmine ban treaty.”[1]

Pakistan has previously stated that “Pakistan remains committed to pursue the objectives of a universal and non-discriminatory ban on anti-personnel mines in a manner which takes into account the legitimate defence requirements of States. Given our security compulsions and the need to guard our long borders, not protected by any natural obstacle, the use of landmines forms an important part of our self-defence strategy. As such, it is not possible for Pakistan to agree to the demands for the complete prohibition of anti-personnel landmines till such time that viable alternatives are available.”[2] On the issue of antivehicle mines, Pakistan declared that “AVMs are legitimate defensive weapons and existing provisions of the CCW and International Humanitarian Law can address the problems related to their irresponsible use.”[3]

Pakistan has previously stated that CCW Amended Protocol II of the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) had the capacity—if fully implemented—to minimize human suffering caused by mines, and that the protocol maintained “a delicate balance” between humanitarian concerns and security imperatives.[4]

Pakistan did not attend any meetings on the mine ban in 2010 or the first half of 2011. Pakistani NGO Sustainable Peace and Development Organization (SPADO) attended the Mine Ban Treaty intersessional meetings in June 2011.

On 8 December 2010, Pakistan abstained from voting on UN General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 65/48 calling for universalization of the Mine Ban Treaty. It has abstained on all previous annual UNGA resolutions in support of the treaty. 

Pakistan is party to the CCW and its Amended Protocol II on landmines and Protocol V on explosive remnants of war. Pakistan submitted a CCW Protocol II Article 13 report in October 2010 covering the period from September 2009 to September 2010, and another one in April 2011 covering the period from September 2010 to December 2010.  In November 2010, Pakistan stated that it “is in full compliance with all the requirements of the Amended Protocol II” and that it “has successfully incorporated at appropriate levels all the technical requirements, as mandated by the technical annex of Amended Protocol II.”[5]

Use

Pakistan states that it has not laid mines since the 2001–2002 escalation on the Pakistan-India border.[6] The last confirmed use of antipersonnel mines by Pakistan took place between December 2001 and mid-2002, during an escalation of tensions with India when it laid very large numbers of mines along their shared border.[7] Pakistan also maintains permanent minefields along certain portions of the Line of Control in Kashmir.

The Pakistan army and security forces have been engaged in armed conflict with Pakistani Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and Baloch insurgents in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), parts of the North-West Frontier Province, and in Balochistan province. Previous Monitor reports have reported that there is a perception among local populations that Pakistani forces are laying mines to defend some military bases and outposts in these conflict areas, however no one could provide the Monitor with specific details and the Monitor has not been able to substantiate the allegations.[8] Production, transfer, and stockpiling

Pakistan is one of a small number of countries still producing antipersonnel mines.[9] Since January 1997, Pakistan Ordnance Factories has produced detectable versions of hand-emplaced blast mines in order to be compliant with CCW Amended Protocol II.[10] In 2007, Pakistan reported that it “has also planned incorporation of self-destruct and self-deactivation mechanism in its future production” in order to meet Amended Protocol II requirements.[11] The protocol requires that all remotely-delivered mines have self-destruct and self-deactivation mechanisms. Pakistan reported in 2002 that it was developing a remotely-delivered antipersonnel mine system, but has provided no further details.[12] In 2007, Pakistan also stated that it had “met the deadlines to improve the specifications on detectability of mines” to be compliant with CCW Amended Protocol II.[13]

Pakistan’s Statutory Regulatory Order No. 123 (1) of 25 February 1999 makes the export of antipersonnel mines illegal.[14]The law penalizes importation of mines, but no data is available regarding whether people have been arrested or charged under this law. Pakistan states that it has not exported mines “since early 1992.”[15] Recent Article 13 reports state simply that “no manufacturing or trade of landmines is allowed in the Private sectors.”[16] In the past, the country was a major exporter of mines. Pakistani-made mines have been found in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sri Lanka.

There is no official information available on the size of Pakistan’s antipersonnel mine stockpile. The Monitor has estimated that Pakistan stockpiles at least six million antipersonnel mines, the fifth largest stockpile in the world.[17] Pakistan has neither confirmed nor denied this estimate.

Destruction

In previous years, Pakistan reportedthat it destroyed “a large number of outdated mines every year,” but had not provided information about the quantity or types of mines destroyed.[18]  In 2010, Pakistan reported that a total of 43,248 antipersonnel mines (30,615 Mine AP ND P2; 7,014 Mine AP ND P4 Series; 2,884 Mine AP M-14; and 2,735 miscellaneous antipersonnel mines) were destroyed between 2000 and 2009.[19] It provided no information on further destruction in 2011, although it reiterated that the mines lain along the “Eastern Border have been completely cleared/removed/destroyed” without specifying when this took place.[20]