Date: 2014-04-17
Mr President, the vulnerable situation of all minorities in Pakistan is at the forefront of the human rights concerns raised by the EU with the Government of Pakistan. We have repeatedly expressed our concern at the climate of intolerance and violence, the attacks on Christians and other minorities including Shias, Ahmadis, Hindus and Hazaras and the potential for abuse of the blasphemy laws, to which many of you make reference. The issue is raised in the EU's human rights dialogue with Pakistan and, most recently, during High Representative Catherine Ashton's dialogue with Pakistan's Foreign Affairs Advisor Sartaj Aziz in March. The visit to Pakistan in the coming months by Mr Lambrinidis, the EU Special Representative on Human Rights, will again be an opportunity to reinforce this. A major contributory factor to the problem of persecution in Pakistan has been the alarming rise in violent extremism in parts of the country. The focus for terrorist attacks has been religious minorities, as many of you have said, but also female workers, as Ms Gurmai said; people promoting education and health and schools, especially girls' schools. It remains the case that the fundamental causes that make violent abuse and intolerance possible must be tackled. The lack of adequate state education and serious economic problems mean that unemployed young people are open to manipulation by unscrupulous politicians or religious leaders. Short of resolving these issues, efforts by the authorities to combat intolerance and violence will continue to be challenged by radical groups, which target religious minorities as part of their agenda. It is in the interest of Europe, as well as the stability of the wider region, to do as much as possible to support the vast majority of Pakistanis who reject sectarianism and extremist violence and want to see more progress, prosperity and democracy in their country. It is our view that it is essential to engage with Pakistan, both through dialogue and through practical engagement. We are preparing to support a major project addressing discrimination on the basis of faith in Pakistan. It will focus on improving attitudes through the media, education, culture and public offices. It will also seek ways to tackle discrimination and attacks on the basis of faith, including by legislative review, legal aid and specific mechanisms to deal with attacks. Moreover, the EU is supporting projects to improve access to justice for vulnerable groups in Pakistan; to improve law enforcement and build capacity in federal and provincial institutions to increase awareness of human rights. Support for education continues to be a focus of EU assistance to Pakistan, including an understanding and tolerance of other religions. We believe that human rights monitoring resulting from the inclusion of Pakistan in the Generalised System of Preferences, which is contingent on the effective implementation of core international conventions, provides good leverage to ensure steady progress in the protection of respect for human rights. We will continue to raise the issue of freedom of religion and belief, the importance of freedom of expression and the responsibility of Pakistan to protect all its citizens, including Christian and other minorities, and the rights of women and children. To do so, we need to be united, Mr Messerschmidt the Commission, Council and Parliament and all European citizens that believe in human rights and democracy.