Abstract

Treaties are agreements between States negotiated by government executives. They are primarily meant to govern the relationship between States, but may have implications for the economic, political, and fundamental rights of citizens. As treaties create binding legal obligations for States enforceable under international law, this article primarily argues that Parliamentary oversight of treaties is necessary for their democratic legitimacy. It analyses the Ratification of Foreign Agreements by Parliament Bill (the ‘Bill’) which is currently being debated in the Senate of Pakistan. Offering critical overview of the existing treaty making procedures in Pakistan, the article evaluates several aspects of the Bill including its definition of foreign agreements and the proposed treaty ratification procedures in comparison with international law of treaties and relevant laws of the UK, Australia, and Kenya. Based on the comparative examination of the Bill, the article makes proposals for changes in the Bill's substantive provisions and make further suggestions for improvement, such as guiding principles on treaty negotiations and procedure for treaty withdrawals. The article concludes by giving a comprehensive package of practical recommendations for further development of the Bill's provisions on treaty ratification in accordance with international best practices.

中文翻译：

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外交政策民主化：议会对巴基斯坦条约批准的监督

摘要

条约是由政府行政人员谈判达成的国家之间的协议。它们主要用于管理国家之间的关系，但可能对公民的经济、政治和基本权利产生影响。由于条约为国家规定了可根据国际法强制执行的具有约束力的法律义务，本文主要认为议会对条约的监督对于条约的民主合法性是必要的。它分析了巴基斯坦参议院目前正在辩论的议会法案（“法案”）批准外国协议。提供对巴基斯坦现有条约制定程序的重要概述，文章通过与国际法和英国、澳大利亚和肯尼亚的相关法律进行比较，评估了该法案的几个方面，包括其对外国协议的定义和拟议的条约批准程序。文章在对法案进行比较研究的基础上，对法案的实质性条款提出修改建议，并进一步提出改进建议，如条约谈判指导原则、条约退出程序等。文章最后提出了一套全面的实用建议，以根据国际最佳做法进一步制定法案关于批准条约的规定。文章对法案的实质性条款提出修改建议，并进一步提出改进建议，如条约谈判指导原则、条约退出程序等。文章最后提出了一套全面的实用建议，以根据国际最佳做法进一步制定法案关于批准条约的规定。文章对法案的实质性条款提出修改建议，并进一步提出改进建议，如条约谈判指导原则、条约退出程序等。文章最后提出了一套全面的实用建议，以根据国际最佳做法进一步制定法案关于批准条约的规定。