White House Says it Is Watching Pakistan Events ‘with Concern’

Pakistani laborers prepare a 200-feet-long flag at the park ahead of Independence Day celebrations in Karachi, Pakistan, 09 August 2023. (EPA)
Pakistani laborers prepare a 200-feet-long flag at the park ahead of Independence Day celebrations in Karachi, Pakistan, 09 August 2023. (EPA)
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White House Says it Is Watching Pakistan Events ‘with Concern’

Pakistani laborers prepare a 200-feet-long flag at the park ahead of Independence Day celebrations in Karachi, Pakistan, 09 August 2023. (EPA)
Pakistani laborers prepare a 200-feet-long flag at the park ahead of Independence Day celebrations in Karachi, Pakistan, 09 August 2023. (EPA)

The United States is watching "with concern" events in Pakistan, White House national security spokesman John Kirby told a briefing on Wednesday.

Kirby made his remarks after being asked about the situation in Pakistan, where former Prime Minister Imran Khan was recently imprisoned and there has been a spike in militant attacks.

"We're obviously concerned about any actions, particularly violent actions, that can contribute to instability in Pakistan or frankly any other country with whom we share a set of common interests when it comes to counterterrorism, so we're watching it with concern," he said.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he would advise the president to dissolve parliament late on Wednesday, setting the stage for a national election as the country grapples with political and economic crises.

"Pakistan is a partner, particularly when it comes to the counterterrorism threat in that part of the world. And we have every expectation that they will remain so," Kirby said.

The State Department said on Monday that the arrest of Khan, a critic of the United States, was an internal matter and declined to take a position on his legal troubles. 



ICC Chief Prosecutor Wants Israeli Objections over Netanyahu Warrant to be Rejected

Israeli Prime Minister and Chairman of the Likud Party, Benjamin Netanyahu, makes an address. Photo: Ilia Yefimovich/dpa
Israeli Prime Minister and Chairman of the Likud Party, Benjamin Netanyahu, makes an address. Photo: Ilia Yefimovich/dpa
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ICC Chief Prosecutor Wants Israeli Objections over Netanyahu Warrant to be Rejected

Israeli Prime Minister and Chairman of the Likud Party, Benjamin Netanyahu, makes an address. Photo: Ilia Yefimovich/dpa
Israeli Prime Minister and Chairman of the Likud Party, Benjamin Netanyahu, makes an address. Photo: Ilia Yefimovich/dpa

The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor has told judges that Israeli objections to the investigation into the 13-month war in Gaza should be rejected.

Karim Khan submitted his formal response late Monday to an appeal by Israel over The Hague-based court’s jurisdiction after judges issued arrest warrants last year for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister and Hamas’ military chief, accusing them of crimes against humanity in connection with the war in Gaza.

The embattled Israeli leader, who is also facing corruption charges in his homeland, called the arrest warrant “ a black day in the history of nations ” and vowed to fight the allegations, The AP reported.

Individuals cannot contest an arrest warrant directly, but the state of Israel can object to the entire investigation. Israel argued in a December filing that it could look into allegations against its leaders on its own and that continuing to investigate Israelis was a violation of state sovereignty.

The ICC was established in 2002 as the permanent court of last resort to prosecute individuals responsible for the world’s most heinous atrocities — war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression.

The court’s 125 member states include Palestine, Ukraine, Canada and every country in the European Union, but dozens of countries don’t accept the court’s jurisdiction, including Israel, the United States, Russia and China.

In Khan’s combined 55-page response, he says the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC, allowed it to prosecute crimes that take place in the territory of member states, regardless of where the perpetrators hail from.

The judges are expected to render a decision in the coming months.