PAKISTAN PERSPECTIVE
INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT REMOVES CHIEF PROSECUTOR KARIM KHAN AMID MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS
DOMINANT ANGLE
Islamabad separates the pride sparked by a son of the Pakistani diaspora from the credibility crisis now affecting the International Criminal Court.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
ANALYSIS
Islamabad, July 25, 2026. The ousting of International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan, voted on by 82 of the 125 member states gathered in New York on Friday, resonates particularly in Pakistan: the fallen magistrate, born in Edinburgh to a Pakistani dermatologist father and a British nurse mother, was presented in the local press as a figure of the diaspora who had reached the highest functions of international justice. His downfall, prompted by allegations of sexual harassment, is being treated with marked caution, distinguishing his personal trajectory from the institution he led.
According to Dawn, Khan, 56, had been suspended as early as May 2025 after an internal investigation was launched, before being formally removed by a secret ballot vote on Friday. The accuser, a Malaysian lawyer identified by her first name Sarah, a former direct assistant to the prosecutor, described to CNN "an escalation of attempts" that resulted in physical aggression, estimating that "there can be no consent with such a power disparity." Khan denies "any sexual relationship" through his lawyers and describes the procedure as "illegal, procedurally unfair, and unsupported by evidence," reports Geo News.
The Express Tribune retraces Khan's career, including his role in issuing arrest warrants in May 2024 against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, a decision that had plunged the Court into a head-on confrontation with the US. The US, which is not a member of the ICC, has since sanctioned eleven judges and prosecutors, including Khan himself; Secretary of State Marco Rubio referred to "crazies" at the Court, promising a new diplomatic offensive to dismantle it.
ARY News recalls the price paid by the targeted magistrates: French judge Nicolas Guillou, who has been sanctioned since February 2025, says he is living "like in the 1990s," deprived of bank cards and online reservations. For the Pakistani press, this double crisis - internal scandal and American pressure - weakens an institution already deemed selective by the Global South, while its inability to enforce its warrants is evident in the New York episode where Mayor Mamdani said he was powerless to arrest Netanyahu on American soil.
KEY POINTS
- Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, has been closely following the developments as 82 out of 125 member states of the ICC voted on Friday to oust Karim Khan, who has been suspended since May 2025.
- In Pakistan, many have been watching the case of a Malaysian lawyer, identified as Sarah, who described to media a physical altercation stemming from a power imbalance.
- The Pakistani government is aware that the US has imposed sanctions on eleven ICC judges and prosecutors, including Karim Khan, in connection with arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant.
COGNITIVE BIASES IDENTIFIED
Pakistan-focused framing: strong attention is given to Karim Khan's Pakistani origin, which is barely present in foreign coverage.
Preference for international English-language sources (Reuters, CNN) relayed as is, rather than original Pakistani analyses.
Low coverage of the concrete consequences for the International Criminal Court's other ongoing cases, beyond the Israeli aspect.
SOURCES (5)
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