New Delhi [India], April 23 (ANI): Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Wednesday, while condemning the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir demanded that the terrorists responsible for the attack should be prosecuted in the International Criminal Court (ICC), which deals with investigating the gravest of crimes against humanity.

He also demanded that Union Home Minister Amit Shah should push for proscribing Pakistan as a 'terrorist state'

The International Criminal Court, also called 'The Hague' in the Netherlands, investigates and, where warranted, tries individuals charged with the gravest crimes of concern to the international community: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression.

'Those responsible for this should be prosecuted in the international court. I urge the Home Minister to proscribe Pakistan as a terrorist state and move the International Criminal Court,' Sibal told ANI today.

However, India has not ratified the Rome Statute, the international treaty which governs the court. India is not part of the 'Assembly of States Parties', which manages the court. Sibbal further expressed confidence that the Opposition (Congress) would support the demand of proscribing Pakistan as a terrorist state if the government took it up.

Calling the attack an 'act of madness and insanity,' Sibal said, 'It is an act of madness, an act of insanity, but there is much more to it. Obviously, it is very carefully planned. Baisaran valley is a little uphill from Pahalgam, nobody can go there by car at all, so it will take time for any security forces to reach there.'

'For terrorists to spot this particular place, they must have planned it very carefully...When they reached there, they had AK-47s and other weapons, and they segregated the men and targeted them. This must have been thought of earlier, and they knew it would take security forces time to reach there,' he added.

The terrorist attack in Pahalgam has sent shock waves across the country, especially within the local community, which has called for a shutdown.

Following the terror attack, security forces have launched search operations on Wednesday to track down the terrorists responsible. Security has been heightened since the attack, with visuals from the area showing the streets deserted in the usually bustling tourist area. (ANI)