America gave a big blow to Pakistan, put child soldiers on list of recruiting countries, sanctions may be imposed

0
Us-pakistan

Washington: The US has included Pakistan along with 14 other countries in a list of the Child Soldier Protection Prevention Act (CSPA). The law identifies countries where government-backed armed groups recruit or use child soldiers. Pakistan’s inclusion in this list could lead to restrictions on certain security aids and commercial licensing of military equipment.

The U.S. Child Soldier Prevention Act (CSPA) requires the publication of a list of other countries that have recruited or repatriated child soldiers in the past year (from April 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021) in the Annual Report on Trafficking in Persons (TIP). be used. The countries included in the US State Department’s annual TIP list include Pakistan, Turkey, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Congo, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Mali, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the countries included in the list will be banned in the next financial year on certain security aids and commercial licensing of military equipment. “Child soldier” means any person under the age of 18 who takes part directly in combat or who is forcibly recruited into the Government Armed Forces, the police, or other security forces. It also means a person below the age of 15 who has voluntarily joined the Government Armed Forces, Police, or other security forces.

Us-pakistan

The CSPA prohibits aid to countries on the list under international military education and training, foreign military funding, peacekeeping missions, etc. Pakistan on Friday termed its inclusion in the CSPA list by the US as “baseless”. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said, “We reject the inclusion of Pakistan in the Child Soldier Prevention Act list without any evidence and grounds.”

Advertisement