European Parliament has passed a resolution with 678 votes in favour and 8 votes against on Pakistan. The resolution “Urges the European Ombudsman to open an investigation on the correct application of EU rules in the promotion of the GSP+ benefits for Pakistan” and “Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the European Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the EU Special Representative for Human Rights, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Secretary-General of the UN, the UN Human Rights Council, and the Government and Parliament of Pakistan.
European Parliament resolution on the Blasphemy laws in Pakistan, in particular the case of Shagufta Kausar and Shafqat Emmanuel has serious implications.The resolution has called “on the Pakistani authorities to ensure the rule of law and internationally recognised standards of fairness and transparency are applied in any review of these cases.” We should have no problem in treating all with equity and justice.
Pakistan faced a similar situation in May 2007 when the European Parliament adopted a report on Kashmir authored by Baroness Emma Nicholson Member of European Parliament after a lengthy debate with 519 votes in favour and less than 80 against it. The vote in May 2007 on Kashmir report and the vote in April 2021 on Blasphemy laws polled against the interests of Pakistan should be a cause of concern for our foreign office.
Pakistan through its foreign office has expressed a disappointment at the “adoption of a resolution on blasphemy laws in the country.” The statement has said that “The discourse reflects a lack of understanding in the context of blasphemy laws and associated religious sensitivities in Pakistan – and in the wider Muslim world.” Foreign Office has said that “Pakistan is a parliamentary democracy with a vibrant civil society, free media and independent judiciary, which remains fully committed to the promotion and protection of human rights for all its citizens without discrimination. We are proud of our minorities who enjoy equal rights and complete protection of fundamental freedoms as enshrined in the Constitution.”
The resolution jeopardises Pakistan’s standing all over the world. The decision to involve “the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the SecretaryGeneral of the UN and the UN Human Rights Council” does not bode well for Pakistan and the Kashmir case. India is already sitting on the UNSC and the Human Rights Council
This is all that Pakistan could afford to do at this point. Ambassador Abdul Basit, with reliable experience of serving the country at hot spots like, India, Britain and Germany and now a regular commentator on national and international issues has rightly said in his YouTube Video that “Statements could not be an alternative to a Plan of Action and that Pakistan has a Plan of Action in Place.” He has defended FO and Pakistan’s interests and has highlighted that Europe should not touch the extremes.
The European Parliament vote on the Kashmir report in May 2007 should have made Pakistan wiser and aggressive. It seems that our diplomacy outside Pakistan is unwilling to take advance measures and make its impact through Pakistani and Kashmiri community, on the indigenous schools of opinion. Unfortunately in most of the European countries Pakistani diplomacy has Pakistanis and Kashmiris as their regular audience. In majority of the cases the interests of our diplomats remain tenure based. There is no denying the fact that in some cases they prefer to have their own compliant pockets of constituency in the community.
We have some fine people and they have been steering the interests of Pakistan and the cause of Kashmir, with an enviable dedication and a deep sense of responsibility. Unfortunately, they are not that many and the mediocre group prevails. The latter category looks for their like category (look alikes) in the community and we have not made any progress in the European Parliament from the first adverse vote on Kashmir in May 2007.
India continued to work through the last 12 years from May 2007 to August 2019 on MEPs and took an infamous action in Kashmir on 5 August 2019. We wasted our time, energy and budgetary resources in attacking the Baroness Emma Nicholson the author of Kashmir report. We used our members in the two houses of British Parliament (of Pakistani and Kashmiri heritage) to denounce the author of the report, ignoring the fact that the report was voted for by 519 other members of the European Parliament. There were only 80 votes against it.
Emma Nicholson had acted on behalf of Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament and had to work under a discipline. We failed to engage her and refused to take up her invitation to meet her in the House of Lords for discussion on the Draft Report. JKCHR lead a delegation to meet her on 5 March 2007 in the House of Lords and questioned her iniquitous access to people on both sides of cease fire line. We succeeded to convince her not to make any adverse remarks against the right of self-determination and leave it as a prerogative and right of the people of Kashmir. She agreed.
The resolution adopted on 29 April 2021 by the European Parliament is voted for by far more and voted against by far less as compared to a vote in May 2007. In addition to 678 members who voted for the resolution, asking for a change in blasphemy law, the resolution will be sent to “the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the European Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the EU Special Representative for Human Rights, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Secretary-General of the UN, the UN Human Rights Council, and the Government and Parliament of Pakistan.”
The resolution aggravates the situation against Pakistan all over the world. The decision to involve “the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Secretary-General of the UN and the UN Human Rights Council” does not mean well for Pakistan and the Kashmir case. India is already sitting in the UN Security Council and in the Human Rights Council. The issue of “religious persecution” of minorities has to be addressed as urgently as possible.
Pakistan is home for all major religions and home for others with no faith. Christianity is one of the Abrahamic religions and Christians have no cause to blaspheme against Prophet (Peace Be upon Him). Muslims too have no cause to persecute Christians or members of any other faith or community in Pakistan. Neither the holy Quran nor the Constitution of Pakistan allows it. We need to reconcile our laws which are abused for personal or political reasons. Equity and not inequity or persecution is the basis of a Muslim majority country.
Pakistan needs to have diplomats who have a comparative study of all religions and they need to engage the Christian communities of Pakistani heritage in the country of destination. There should be an interaction and dialogue with Christian community at home and abroad. This is the civilised means of dispelling all misgivings and best means to check any sinister interests of some in Muslim faith or in these other faiths. We have failed to explain in Brussels the manner in which we pay our salutations to Jesus and Moses. Our faith is incomplete without our faith in all the Abrahamic faiths.
As regards the European Parliament’s concern about the “threats made against a Member State of the European Union” and “make an unambiguous commitment to respect the Member States of the European Union and their representatives and to ensure the safety of European citizens residing in Pakistan”, Pakistan should have no problem to address the issue as a member nation of the United Nations. France has a large section of Muslims of Pakistani heritage and France has helped us on the issue of Kashmir.
We should make extra efforts to visit people of all faiths of Pakistani heritage living in France and build bridges through them. Our judiciary should not fail in doing substantial, complete and quick justice to all Pakistanis and those resident in Pakistan. Judiciary should not have sat on the cases of Shagufta Kausar and Shafqat Emmanuel since 2014. It is an injustice and a disservice to the image of the country.
The Writer is President of London based Jammu and Kashmir Council for Human Rights – NGO in Special Consultative Status with the United Nations