Policy

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan has not acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty.

In December 2017, Pakistan stated it “supports the humanitarian objectives of the Ottawa Convention.”[1] Pakistan also reiterated its view “that landmines continue to play a significant role in the defence needs of many States. Given our security demands and the need to guard our long borders that are not protected by any natural obstacle, the use of landmines forms an important part of our self-defence strategy. The objective of the total elimination of anti-personnel landmines can best be promoted, inter alia, by making available non-lethal military and cost-effective alternative technologies.”[2] In March 2016, a representative of Pakistan stated that it will not be joining the Mine Ban Treaty because of India, and that Pakistan had previously laid mines along its border with India and would do so again should it be necessary.[3] 

In September 2017, Pakistan’s Parliamentary Committee on SAFRON (State and Frontier Regions) urged the government to establish a fund for the victims of landmines. The committee expressed discontentment that at least 50 people have died and hundreds of others have been injured in landmine incidents only in South Waziristan agency. It noted that according to a rough estimate, about 10,000 landmines are in the Mehsud inhabited area, which need to be removed before they claim further lives.[4] 

Popular actions regarding mine contamination in the country have begun to occur with greater frequency. In April 2018, an estimated 60,000 people joined a rally organized by the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) in Peshawar calling for the removal of landmines from war-torn provinces along the Afghan frontier as one of their main grievances.[5] This followed a 10 day sit-in in front of the National Press Club Islamabad and came after a long march to Islamabad, also organized by the PTM, which demanded landmine clearance and compensation to landmine victims. The sit-in ended after the government agreed to both demands.[6] Newly elected Prime Minister Imran Khan met with PTM leaders after the sit-in and promised to address the landmine issue and other demands of the movement.[7] 

Communities in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) have previously demanded the government clear their villages from landmines. A tribal “jirga”—a traditional assembly of tribal elders—was held on 14 September 2017, in which community leaders stated that if the landmines were not removed from their communities, they would protest against the government in front of the parliament. Additionally, the jirga asked the government to approve a compensation package for the victims of landmines in South Waziristan agency.[8] A similar jirga occurred on 15 November 2016 in the Mehsud tribe, and also asked the government to take measures to address the issue of landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) in their area.[9] 

In December 2017, in Balochistan, landmine victims from Dera Bugti protested in front of the press club in Quetta with the demand of compensation and jobs for landmine victims. Balochistan’s Chief and Interior Ministers met with the landmine victims and assured them of action and distributed funds among victims on the spot.[10] 

Pakistan participated as an observer in the Ottawa Process and the Mine Ban Treaty negotiations, but it has rarely engaged in the treaty since 1997, and has never attended a Review Conference. Pakistan has participated as an observer in five of the convention’s Meetings of States Parties, including the Sixteenth Meeting of States Parties in Vienna in December 2017, where it made a statement. Pakistan has participated in few of the treaty’s intersessional meetings held in Geneva.

On 4 December 2017, Pakistan abstained from voting on United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 72/53 calling for universalization of the Mine Ban Treaty. It abstained on all previous annual UNGA resolutions in support of the treaty.

International Campaign to Ban Landmines partner in Pakistan, the Sustainable Peace and Development Organization has called for comprehensive clearance in tribal areas and called for coordination between the government and civil society in addressing the issue of landmines in FATA.[11] 

Pakistan is not a party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions. It is a party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) and its Amended Protocol II.

Use

Landmine Monitor has received no reports of the Pakistan Army emplacing landmines in 2017 or 2018. In December 2017, Pakistan stated that the use of landmines is exclusively by the military for defense purposes.[12] 

Pakistan reports annually that it has not laid mines since the Pakistan-India border mine-laying more than a decade ago.[13] That last confirmed large-scale use of antipersonnel mines by Pakistan took place between December 2001 and mid-2002, during the escalation of tensions with India.[14] Pakistan maintains permanent minefields along certain portions of the Line of Control (LoC) that divides Indian- and Pakistani-administered Kashmir. These previously laid mines continue to cause casualties in villages along the LoC.[15] 

In December 2017, Pakistan stated it “has itself been a victim of the use of landmines, including as IEDs [improvised explosive devices], by terrorists and non-state actors. Notwithstanding their use by terrorists, Pakistan’s security forces do not use mines for the maintenance of internal order and law enforcement or in counter-terrorism operations.”[16] Previously, in March 2017, Pakistan reconfirmed that antipersonnel mines, antivehicle mines, and IEDs have been used throughout the country, and attributed the use to “terrorists.”[17] In April 2016, a representative of Pakistan told the Monitor that 14% of recovered IEDs used by militants in Pakistan were victim activated. Militant groups’ victim-activated IEDs use pressure and infra-red initiation, and some also have low metal content detonators. In May 2018, Pakistan reported that more than one IED incident occurs per day.[18] In some cases, antipersonnel mines are used as detonators for larger explosive devices, or one initiator sets off multiple explosive devices. Pakistani security forces have recovered 194 tons of explosives from militants, and 2,500 antipersonnel and antivehicle mines in recent years.[19] 

In April 2016, a representative of Pakistan stated to the Monitor that the army has a policy not to use antipersonnel mines around its outposts in operations in FATA.[20] Previously, following an increase in Pakistan army operations in the country’s border areas with Afghanistan in 2012, there were reports in the domestic Pakistani media of new mine casualties in those areas. Media reports in 2012 and 2013 attributed the new casualties to use of mines by Pakistani forces for “security purposes” but it is unclear if the mines were laid recently or in the past.[21] Subsequently, no new reports occurred since 2013 that were attributable to use by Pakistani forces. In February 2018, responding to public agitation for mine clearance an army official was quoted as saying, “No mines have been laid by Pakistan Army in South Waziristan Agency or [any other part of] FATA and none were sprinkled on [an] emergency basis. We continue to make efforts to demine all mines, IEDs and booby traps laid by terrorists.”[22] However, residents in some villages state that if they complain about the presence of mines, they are jailed.[23] 

Non-state armed groups in Balochistan and FATA use antipersonnel landmines and other victim-activated explosive devices during the reporting period. Use is attributed to a variety of militant groups under the Tehrik Taliban Pakistan banner and Balochi insurgent groups.[24] As in previous years, many military personnel and some civilians were killed or injured in incidents of new use, mostly by unknown perpetrators. The Monitor has recorded numerous antipersonnel mine incidents in Balochistan, FATA, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, although in some cases the precise date of mine use cannot be ascertained, nor can the perpetrator be identified (see Casualties profile for more details). Non-state armed groups also use antivehicle mines.

Production, transfer, and stockpiling

Pakistan is one of a small number of countries still producing antipersonnel mines.[25] Since 1997, Pakistan Ordnance Factories has produced detectable versions of hand-emplaced blast mines in order to be compliant with CCW Amended Protocol II.[26] 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.[27] 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.[28] 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.[29] 

Pakistan’s Statutory Regulatory Order No. 123 (1) of 25 February 1999 makes the export of antipersonnel mines illegal.[30] The law penalizes the importation of mines, but no data is available regarding whether anyone has been arrested or charged under this law. Pakistan states that it has not exported mines “since early 1992.”[31] In December 2017, Pakistan stated that the private sector is not allowed to manufacture or to trade in landmines.[32] Previous Article 13 reports state simply that “no manufacturing or trade of landmines is allowed in the Private sectors.”[33] 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. In the past, the Monitor estimated that Pakistan stockpiles at least six million antipersonnel mines, the fifth largest stockpile in the world.[34] Pakistan has neither confirmed nor denied this estimate.

As in previous years, seizures of mines, among other weapons, have been reported.[35] Previously in February and July 2017 and November 2016, Pakistani officials seized landmines, among other weapons, in raids in Balochistan.[36] 

Destruction

During 2017, Pakistan reported destroying 955 unserviceable antipersonnel mines, all of Pakistani manufacture.[37] Previously, in April 2016, a representative of Pakistan told the Monitor that all mines reported destroyed in the Article 13 reports are expiring stocks of antipersonnel mines. He further stated that all mines seized during operations in Pakistan by the security forces are destroyed and that “thousands” had been destroyed during previous years.[38] 

Previously, during 2016, Pakistan reported destroying 7,370 antipersonnel mines; during 2015 1,429 antipersonnel mines; during 2014, 2,944 antipersonnel mines of Pakistani origin; during 2013, it destroyed 8,184 antipersonnel mines of Pakistani origin; and in 2012, Pakistan destroyed 2,107 antipersonnel mines of United States, Pakistani, and unknown origin.[39] In 2011, it destroyed 153 antipersonnel mines and in 2010, Pakistan reported that a total of 43,248 antipersonnel mines were destroyed between 2000 and 2009.[40] 

Pakistan reiterated that there is no problem of uncleared mines on its eastern border.[41] However, in July 2017, members of the Pakistan security forces were killed and injured in mine clearance operations near Landi Kotall in FATA.[42] Pakistani authorities had to halt repatriation of some communities after conflict due to the presence of landmines.[43] The Pakistan Red Crescent Society declares FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to be weapon-contaminated areas, as significant amounts of ERW remain in these areas, placing the local population at risk.[44]