WRITTEN QUESTION E-3707/00 by John Cushnahan (PPE-DE) to the Council. The plight of the Ahmadiyya community in Pakistan.
Date: 2000-11-30
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Pakistan, common foreign and security policy, protection of minorities, religious group

C 174 E/122

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

19.6.2001

labour conditions and the issue of street children, all over Latin America (such as the project (cid:145)satellite street
children(cid:146) executed by the NGO European Network on Street Children World-wide, ENSCW, € 874,000,
and a project (cid:145)Poder crecer(cid:146) with the objective to accompany and strengthen NGO(cid:146)s that take care of
children and teenagers in difficult situations such as street children, children that are in jail and under-age
workers (€ 1 million) executed by the NGO BICE, International catholic Bureau for childhood).

The Commission continues to foster any positive measures which aim to facilitate the implementation of
the Latin America Children Convention (C(cid:243)digo del niæo y el adolescente). In this context, one of the
priority themes in Latin America for 2001 is precisely the promotion and protection of the rights of
children.

The Commission has taken note of the Honourable Member(cid:146)s concern of the case of underage workers
found in Mexico and will avail itself of any opportunity to ask the Mexican authorities to enforce the laws
on child labour in all circumstances.

(2001/C 174 E/126)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3707/00

by John Cushnahan (PPE-DE) to the Council

(30 November 2000)

Subject: The plight of the Ahmadiyya community in Pakistan

Is the Presidency aware of the infringements of the Ahmadiyya community(cid:146)s human rights in Pakistan? A
number of laws passed in 1974 made it a criminal offence for Ahmadis to profess, practise and preach
their faith. Several members of the community have been charged with blasphemy under Section 295C,
which carries the mandatory death penalty. Recent religiously motivated murders committed by orthodox
Muslims against the Ahmadis have not been investigated. What does the Council intend to do to protect
the fundamental rights of the Ahmadiyya community?

Reply

(12 March 2001)

The Council shares the concern expressed in the question put by the Honourable Member regarding
discrimination against religious minorities in Pakistan. However, given that the regular political dialogue
meetings between the Union and Pakistan were suspended following a military coup in 1999,
it has
become more difficult for the Union to communicate its concerns to Pakistan(cid:146)s political leaders. Never-
theless, the subject of the protection of religious minorities has been raised, on several occasions, with
high-level interlocutors from the administration and the Pakistani Government, notably during the Troika(cid:146)s
ad hoc visits to Islamabad in November 1999 and November 2000. During its last visit, the Troika in
particular stressed to the Minister of the Interior the importance of ensuring that religious minorities were
adequately protected against all intra-community violence, that any incidents were investigated and the
perpetrators prosecuted. The Troika also raised the matter of continued legal discrimination against certain
minorities in Pakistan, including the issue of separate voting.

During these interviews, Minister Haider assured the Troika that the administration wished to include all
minorities in the political process. While recognising that the initial discriminatory decisions taken in
accordance with the anti-blasphemy legislation had alarmed the groups concerned, Mr Haider emphasised
that none of these controversial decisions had been upheld on appeal. The Minister also confirmed that the
government would undertake to pursue the necessary reform of the legislation in question. As regards
intra-community violence, the government was aware of the extent of the problem. It would continue to
take a tough line against all
forms of violence and would undertake to arrest and prosecute the
perpetrators.

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 174 E/123

The Troika reminded the Minister that these problems were causing grave concern in Europe and that
Europe(cid:146)s political leaders, NGOs and media would be keeping a close eye on the situation in Pakistan. The
Council would continue to keep the situation in Pakistan under regular review and, if necessary, would
raise these problems again with the relevant interlocutors via the European Ambassadors in Islamabad.

(2001/C 174 E/127)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3710/00

by Carles-Alfred Gas(cid:242)liba i B(cid:246)hm (ELDR) to the Commission

(30 November 2000)

Subject: Red Tuna catches in DŁnia and Gandia

It has been noted for years in the fishing towns of DŁnia and Gandia that French fishermen are using nets
several miles long to catch red tuna.

Catches of these fish fail to meet the minimum authorised weight of 60 kg, and no checks of any kind are
made.

Since this type of fishing is extremely deleterious to Mediterranean fish stocks, since protected species are
also being caught, how does the Council [sic] intend to force the governments of the Member States
concerned to adopt the appropriate measures, so as to ensure that Community fishing legislation is
complied with?

Does the Commission [sic] intend to penalise those countries which fail to comply with the legislation?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(22 January 2001)

Over the past, French vessels, along with a few Spanish vessels, have been fishing for Bluefin tuna off
Balearic Islands with purse seines, and land their catch in Spanish ports.

Community legislation does not include provisions regulating the length or the dimensions of purse seines.

The minimum landing size of Bluefin tuna is defined in Annex XII of Council Regulation (EC) No 850/98
of 30 March 1998 for the conservation of fishery resources through technical measures for the protection
of juveniles of marine organisms (1), and Annex IV of Council Regulation (EC) No 1626/94 of 27 June
1994 laying down certain technical measures for the conservation of fishery resources in the Mediterra-
nean (2). It is set at 70 centimeters (cm) or 6,4 kilograms (kg). However, to provide a margin for accidental
catches of smaller fish, a maximum of 15 % of the catch (in number of individuals) may consist of
individuals weighing between 3,2 kg and 6,4 kg.

The reference of 60 kg as indicated by the Honourable Member is not in Community legislation.

These rules have been agreed by the Council. If they are being contravened, it is the responsibility of
Member States to ensure compliance and to apply legal sanctions wherever necessary, in conformity with
the provisions of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2847/93 of 12 October 1993 establishing a control system
applicable to the common fisheries policy (3).

National
framework of

fisheries inspectors may be accompanied by the inspectors of the Commission within the
the Community control system applicable inter alia on the Bluefin tuna fishery by