Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Netherlands Ambassador to Pakistan Jeannette Seppen on Saturday said disappearance of Pakistani ‘bloggers’ is a matter of concern for Netherlands.

She said this after inaugurating a Dutch residence and art show “At Home” featuring artworks by Pakistani artists.

To a question, she said that her country believes in human rights, women’s rights and freedom of expression. It is responsibility of the Pakistani government to give freedom of expression to every journalist and blogger. To several other questions on atrocities and human rights violations in Kashmir, she said that Netherlands is against any human rights violations either in Kashmir, Balochistan or Punjab.

The envoy said that her country is against the death penalty and research and studies also proved that death penalty is not a deterrence to stop crime.

“Our stand on death penalty is based on principle not only for Pakistan but also internationally,” she said.

She said bilateral trade between Netherlands and Pakistan is around $1 billion and there is still a lot of potential to increase it. She said Netherlands’ companies are investing in agriculture, dairy production, alternative energy, ports and shipping, maritime and sports sectors in Pakistan.

“Dutch companies are working at Port Qasim and our companies are interested in Gwadar Port and other coastal areas. I am also hopeful that Dutch companies will be able to get projects through CPEC,” she added.

She said that Pakistan and Netherlands had historical relations and soon after independence of Pakistan diplomatic relations between two countries were established.

Seppen said Pakistani artists highlighted issues on which Netherlands focuses in Pakistan, such as women’s rights, freedom of expression, religion and belief. She said that the show is unique in a way that all the artworks on display have a relation to daily life and challenges in Pakistan. She said that dialogue between artists and viewers about art highlights critical socio-economic issues.

She commended the artists for their beautiful and creative work and hoped it would encourage other young artists to educate people about these issues.