87. InvitestheItalianParliamentto:
/dash accelerateitsworkonthereformoftheaudiovisualsectorinaccordancewiththerecommendations
oftheItalianconstitutionalcourtandthePresidentoftheRepublic,takingaccountoftheprovisionsintheGasparriBillwhichareincompatiblewithCommunitylaw,asnotedbythoseauthorities;
/dash tofindagenuineandappropriatesolutiontotheproblemofaconflictofinterestofthePresidentof
theItalianCouncilofMinisterswhoalsodirectlycontrolstheprincipalproviderofprivateand,indi-rectly,publictelevision,themainadvertisingfranchiseholderandmanyotheractivitiesconnectedwiththeaudiovisualandmediasector,
/dash totakemeasurestoensuretheindependenceofthepublicservicebroadcaster;
*
**
88. InstructsitsPresidenttoforwardthisresolutiontotheCouncil,theCommission,theCouncilof
EuropeandthegovernmentsandparliamentsoftheMemberStatesandtheaccessioncountries.
P5_TA(2004)0374
SituationinPakistan
EuropeanParliamentresolutiononthesituationconcerninghumanrightsanddemocracyinthe
IslamicRepublicofPakistan
TheEuropeanParliament ,
/dash havingregardtotheCommercialCooperationAgreementbetweentheEuropeanEconomicCommun-
ityandtheIslamicRepublicofPakistanof21June1976(CouncilRegulation(EEC)No1503/76)(1),
/dash havingregardtotheAgreementforCommercial,EconomicandDevelopmentCooperationbetween
theEuropeanEconomicCommunityandtheIslamicRepublicofPakistanof22April1986(CouncilRegulation(EEC)No1196/86)(
2),
/dash havingregardtotheCouncilDecisionof15July1996wherebytheCouncilauthorisedtheCommis-
sion to open negotiations with Pakistan with the task of concluding a Cooperation AgreementbetweentheEuropeanCommunityandtheIslamicRepublicofPakistanonPartnershipandDevel-opment (also referred to as the third Generation Cooperation Agreement (8108/1999 /dashCOM(1998)357/dashC5-0659/2001))(
3)andadoptingdirectivestothatend,
/dash havingregardtothefactthat,whilethetextwasinitialledon22April1998,signaturewasrepeatedly
postponedduetoPakistanconductingnucleartests,humanrightsabuses,theKargilfighting,andthemilitarytake-overof12October1999,
/dash havingregardtothefactthattheAgreementwasfinallysignedbyPresidentMusharraf,CouncilPresi-
dentVerhofstadtandCommissionPresidentProdiinIslamabadon24November2001,
/dash having regard toArticle1 ofthisAgreement which stipulates that‘respect forhumanrights and
democraticprinciples…constitutesanessentialelementof[the]Agreement’,
/dash havingregardtoitsnumerouspreviousresolutionsonhumanrights,inparticularitsresolutionsof
25April2002(
4)andof10February2004(5),
(1) OJL168,28.6.1976,p.1.
(2) OJL108,25.4.1986,p.1.
(3) OJC17,22.1.1999,p.6.
(4) OJC131E,5.6.2003,p.147.
(5) P5_TA(2004)0079.C104E/1040 EN30.4.2004 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion
Thursday22April2004
/dash havingregardtothemilitarycoupof1999,underthedirectionofGeneralPervezMusharraf,over-
throwingthedemocratically-electedgovernmentofNawazSharif,
/dash havingregardtothesubsequentrulingbytheSupremeCourtthatGeneralMusharrafwastoprepare
thecountryforareturntodemocracywithinthreeyears,inkeepingwitharoadmapfortherestor-ationofdemocracy,
/dash havingregardtothereferendumheldon30April2002aimedatreconfirmingPresidentGeneral
Musharrafinpowerforafurtherfiveyears,whichwascriticisedasbothunconstitutionalandinvol-vingmassiveelectoralmalpractice,
/dash havingregardtothegeneralelectionheldinPakistanon10October2002,whichwasconsideredby
theEUElectionObservationMission(EUEOM)tobeseriouslyflawed,
/dash havingregardtoPakistan’scontinuingexclusionfromthedecision-makingcouncilsoftheCommon-
wealth,
/dash havingregardtothepositiveoutcomeoftheSAARCSummitheldinIslamabadinJanuary2004,
/dash havingregardtoRule37(2)ofitsRulesofProcedure,
A. whereastherearestillanumberofkeyissuesregardingtheextenttowhichPakistanisrespecting
democraticprinciplesandhumanrightswhichgiveriseforconcern,
B. whereasParliamenthasstronglyandconsistentlysupportedhumanrightsclausesintradeandcoop-
erationagreementsandbelievesthatthebestwayofexertingpressureonPakistantoimproveitshumanrightsrecordandtomakemuchgreaterprogressonrestoringdemocracyisbymaintainingopenlinesofdialogueineverypossiblefield,
C. whereastheEuropeanUnion,underEC-Pakistandevelopmentcooperation,providessignificantfund-
ingtoPakistanforpovertyalleviationandsocialsectordevelopment;whereasthereareanumberofsectoralagreementsbetweentheEuropeanCommunityandPakistan;whereastheEUsignedanagree-mentcontributingEUR5milliontoaCooperationProgrammeonTrade-relatedTechnicalAssistanceforPakistanduringtheFebruary2004TroikavisittoIslamabad,
D. whereasthethirdGenerationCooperationAgreementcurrentlyunderdiscussiondoesnothaveany
directfinancialimplications,butwouldlendgreaterinternationalendorsementtoGeneralMusharrafforthestepshehastakenandencouragefurthermovementtowardstherestorationofdemocracy,
1. RecognisesthedifficultdecisiontakenbyPakistantojointheinternationalcommunityinitsfight
againstterrorismandtheimportantroleitisplayingtowardsstrengtheningglobalsecurity;notesthedecisive/dashbutdomesticallyunpopular/dashactiontakenbyPakistanrecentlyagainstAlQaedaandtheresurgentTalibaninWaziristan;
2. NotesthedesireoftheEUtodeepenandbroadenitsrelationshipwithPakistan;believesthiscanbest
beassistedbyPakistanmakingprogressinhumanrightsanddemocracy;
3. Drawsattentiontothe2002generalelectionprocess,whichwaswidelyjudgedtobeflawed;is
concerned,too,bytheoutcomeofthenegotiationsontheLegalFrameworkOrder(LFO),whichhasresultedintheMusharrafadministrationsideliningthemainoppositionpartiesandintransformingPakis-tan’ssystemofgovernancefromaparliamentarytoapresidentialone,wherethePresidenthasthepowertodismissParliament;30.4.2004EN C104E/1041 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion
Thursday22April2004
4. Regretsthatthemilitarycontinuetoexertastronginfluencewithinpoliticsandgovernmentin
Pakistan,andismostconcernedthattheLFO-sanctionedestablishmentofaNationalSecurityCouncilwhich,accordingtothe2003USStateDepartmentAnnualReportonHumanRights,will‘legitimisetheroleofthemilitaryinpolitics’,goestotallyagainstthespiritoftheroadmapfortherestorationofdemoc-racy,whichwassupposedtotransferpowerfromamilitaryruletoacivilianadministration;
5. Isextremelydisturbedbytheserious,recurrenthumanrightsabusesinPakistan,includingthetreat-
mentofwomen(‘honour’killingsandtheHudoodLaws),childlabour,thetreatmentofreligiousminorities(includingtheAhmadicommunityandtheChristianminority,whohavealsosufferedpersecutionundertheblasphemylaws)andjournalists,andtheconsistentproblemsrelatedtofreedomofexpression,ofassembly,andfromarbitraryarrest;has,onanumberofoccasions,registereditsprotestatthedetention
ofJavedHashmi,leaderoftheoppositionAlliancefortheRestorationofDemocracy(ARD),onchargesof
criticisingthearmy;ishorrifiedtolearnthathehasnowbeensentencedto23yearsinjail;
6. Takesnoteofthestepstakentoregulatethe‘madrassas’,orreligiousschools,butregretstheweak
implementationofthispolicy,theMusharrafgovernmenthavingpubliclyreassuredtheclergythatitwillnotinterfereintheinternalaffairsofthemadrassas;
7. Notesthat,whilePresidentMusharrafvowedtocrackdownonterrorismandthe‘jihad’cultureand,
post-September112001,bannedmanyextremistgroups,thesehavesimplyresurfacedunderdifferentnamesandtheirleadershavenotbeenprosecutedundertheAnti-TerrorismAct;
8. DrawsattentiontotheseriousconcernsoftheinternationalcommunityaboutPakistan’sroleinthe
proliferationofnuclearweapons,withtheallegationsandevidenceagainstPakistanhardeningdaybyday;
whileacknowledgingthatPresidentMusharrafhasbeenrighttoinsistuponadetailedinvestigationand
thatheisrightwhenheclaimsthattheKhan‘incident’happenedbecauseofthesecretive natureofPakistan’snuclearweaponsprogramme,highlightsthefactthatPresidentMusharraf(andtherestoftheworld)shouldalsorecognise thatnuclearproliferationhappenedbecausethenuclear programmewasunderthe/dashtotallyunaccountable/dashcontrolofthearmy;
9. UrgentlyrequestsfurtherinformationfromPakistanregardingthenucleartestof30May1998in
BaluchistanwhichshowedtracesofplutoniumandwhichisthoughtbysometohavebeenajointtestforaNorthKoreannuclearweapon;
10. AcknowledgesboththeboldinitiativetakenbyPakistantonormaliserelationswithIndia,andthe
correspondinglypositiveresponseofIndia;welcomes,therefore,thesubsequentthawinrelationsbetweenthetwocountries,makingtheprospectsofresolvingtheKashmirissuemuchbetterthantheyhavebeenforyears;
11. Recallsthatpoliticallymotivatedtrialsandsentencescannotbeaccepted;inthiscontext,demands
theimmediatereleaseofoppositionleaderJavedHashmi;
12. NotesthatPakistanhasmadeanumberofmovestowardsaddressingsomeoftheaboveconcerns;
stresses,however,thatkeyconcernsrelatedtodemocracy,humanrights,thepositionofwomen,childrenandminorities,therightoffreeexpression,thenuclearproliferationissueandtheroleofthemilitaryinthecontroversyandinPakistan’spoliticallifeingeneral,aswellasthepermissiveattitudetowardsextrem-istsmustnotbeoverlooked;
13. InstructsitsPresidenttoforwardthisresolutiontotheCouncil,theCommission,thegovernments
oftheMemberStatesandthegovernmentofPakistan.C104E/1042 EN30.4.2004 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion
Thursday22April2004