Pakistan

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan has not acceded to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

In November 2011, Pakistan repeated its long-held view that cluster munitions are legitimate weapons with military utility, but said it “recognizes the serious humanitarian consequences stemming from the indiscriminate use of cluster munitions and as such welcomed efforts to mitigate their negative consequences.”[1]Pakistan has also stated that it is opposed the use of cluster munitions against civilians.[2]

Pakistan has argued that the problem with cluster munitions is not the weapon itself, but its “irresponsible use.”[3]In 2009, a government official said that “in view of Pakistan’s security environment and legitimate defence needs, we do not support a ban on use, production, and transfer of cluster munitions due to their military utility.”[4]

Pakistan has long expressed its preference for cluster munitions to be addressed through the framework of the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) and not through “extra-UN mechanisms” such as the Convention on Cluster Munitions.[5]

Pakistan did not participate in the Oslo Process that created the Convention on Cluster Munitionsand has not attended any of the regional or international diplomatic meetings related to the convention, including in 2011 and the first half of 2012.[6]

Pakistan is not a party to the Mine Ban Treaty.

Convention on Conventional Weapons

Pakistan is a party to the CCW and it actively participated in CCW work on cluster munitions, urging CCW states to “focus on the irresponsible use and transfer of cluster munitions.”[7]At the CCW's Fourth Review Conference in November 2011, Pakistan was generally in favor of the conclusion of a protocol on cluster munitions, but waivered in its support for the draft chair’s text, which it largely perceived to be too strong.The conference ended without reaching agreement on the draft protocol, thus concluding the CCW’s work on cluster munitions.

Use, production, transfer, and stockpiling

Pakistan has often stated that it has never used cluster munitions.[8]

Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) produces and offers for export M483A1 155mm artillery projectiles containing 88 M42/M46 dual purpose improved conventional munition (DPICM) grenades.[9] The South Korean company Poongsan entered into a licensed production agreement with POF in November 2004 to co-produce K-310 155mm extended-range DPICM projectiles in Pakistan at Wah Cantonment. While the ammunition is being produced for Pakistan’s army, the two firms have said they will also co-market the projectiles to export customers.[10] The Pakistani army took delivery of the first production lots in April 2008.[11]

Jane’s Information Group reports that the Pakistan Air Weapons Center produces the Programmable Submunitions Dispenser (PSD-1), which is similar to the United States (US) Rockeye cluster bomb and dispenses 225 anti-armor submunitions.[12] Jane’s states that the Pakistan National Development Complex produces and markets the Hijara Top-Attack Submunitions Dispenser (TSD-1) cluster bomb.[13] It lists Pakistan’s Air Force as possessing BL-755 cluster bombs.[14] The US transferred to Pakistan 200 Rockeye cluster bombs at some point between 1970 and 1995.[15]

Pakistan has a long-standing export moratorium on antipersonnel landmines, but it does not have any similar measures in place to curb exports of cluster munitions.[16]

On 15 September 2011, the London-based arms expo Defence& Security Equipment international (DSEi) permanently closed the Pakistan Ordnance Factory stand and Pakistan’s Defence Export Promotion Organisation pavilion after promotional material was found at both locations listing cluster munitions available for sale, including the 155mm extended range (base bleed) DPICM projectiles containing 45 submunitions and the 155mm M483A1 cluster munition containing 88 submunitions, both manufactured by POF.[17] Pakistani authorities reportedly stated that cluster munitions were not offered for sale by Pakistan at DSEi.[18]Similar concerns were raised during the 2009 DSEi arms fair, when Pakistan Ordnance Factory was found to be advertising the 155mm extended range (base bleed)DPICM cluster munition.[19]

In a 13 October 2011 letter to Prime Minister YousufRazaGilani, Human Rights Watch urged Pakistan to join the Convention on Cluster Munitions and, as an interim step towards acceding, urged Pakistan to “abide by the spirit and intent” of the convention’s provisions, “including by instituting a prohibition on the transfer of cluster munitions manufactured by Pakistan Ordnance Factory and any other Pakistani entities.”[20]