ICJ to begin hearing today

THE HAGUE, APRIL 2. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) will begin a week-long hearing here tomorrow to determine whether it had the jurisdiction to adjudicate the dispute between Pakistan and India relating to the shooting down of the former's Naval aircraft in August last year.

Pakistan will open the first round of oral arguments seeking the intervention of the 15-member ICJ to deal with the contentious issue followed by presentation of India's views on Tuesday. The two countries will put forth their second round of arguments on Wednesday and Thursday.

The public hearings on ICJ's scope to deal with the dispute at the ``peace palace'' arose after India stated that it had ``preliminary objections to the assumption of jurisdiction by the court (ICJ)... On the basis of Pakistan's application''. Pakistan had taken India to the court on September 21 last.

``The hearing will be dedicated exclusively to the issue of the court's jurisdiction to deal with the dispute,'' an ICJ spokesman said.

- PTI

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : International
Previous : Antonov aircraft grounded for now in Sri Lanka
Next     : Raul Castro leads 'Free Elian' rally