WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2021/98 by Gary TITLEY to the Council. Persecutions of Christians in Pakistan
Date: 1998-06-29
Institutions: European Parliament, TITLEY
Subjects: Christianity, Pakistan, death penalty, democracy, freedom of religious beliefs, penalty, religious discrimination, religious group

C 13/136

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.1.1999

Answer given by Mr de Silguy on behalf of the Commission

(3 September 1998)

The technical preparation of the proposals for regulations on the reform of the Structural Funds for the period
2000-2006 was carried out by a Commission interdepartmental working group chaired by the Directorate-General
for Regional Policy and Cohesion. Although Eurostat was not directly involved in the work of this group, it was
informally consulted on a number of occasions on the pertinence and availability of the statistical indicators
which are to be used under these proposals.

In accordance with Commission procedures, Eurostat was subsequently formally consulted on the final drafts of
the proposals prior to their adoption by the Commission.

(1999/C 13/192)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2021/98

by Gary Titley (PSE) to the Council

(29 June 1998)

Subject: Persecutions of Christians in Pakistan

On 27 April 1998 a Punjab District Court sentenced the Pakistani Christian Ayub Masih to death for blasphemy
following remarks he had made about (cid:145)The Satanic Verses(cid:146) by Salman Rushdie. Over 100 Christians, including
children, are currently under sentence of death for blasphemy.

In view of the numerous and often poorly substantiated charges of blasphemy made against Christians in
Pakistan, will the Council renew its pressure on the Pakistani Government to address the problem of abuse of the
blasphemy law, to abolish the death penalty and to restore the joint electoral system, under which fairer
representation for all religious groups would be possible?

Reply

(24 September 1998)

The existence and arbitrary use of the blasphemy law in Pakistan have been a matter of great concern for the
Council over the past years. The European Union has carried out a number of demarches to address this issue and
has systematically raised the issue at its institutionalized political dialogue consultations with the government of
Pakistan.

The Council must acknowledge that in spite of earlier assurances by the Pakistan authorities that the blasphemy
legislation would be amended in such a way that misuse would be rendered impossible, recent events show that
the basic problems remain unchanged and that religious intolerance seems to be unfortunately on the rise in
Pakistan. Therefore, the EU is going to consider in the competent Council bodies how best to address this issue in
the near future. The European Parliament will be informed of the outcome of the Council(cid:146)s decisions. In this
context, the questions of the death penalty and of the restoration of the joint electoral system will also be
addressed by the appropriate Council bodies in early September 1998.

(1999/C 13/193)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2022/98

by Laura GonzÆlez `lvarez (GUE/NGL)
and Pedro Marset Campos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(30 June 1998)

Subject: Construction of a plant for the transfer of solid urban waste in Quel (La Rioja, Spain)

The construction of a plant for the transfer of solid urban waste has created a climate of alarm and opposition
among the majority of the inhabitants of Quel (La Rioja, Spain), who have launched a campaign against the
proposed location for this plant; some of those involved have been subjected to threats. According to the plan, this