During an interview, last weekend, European Parliament Vice President Heidi Hautala underscored the difficulties that Pakistan might have if the French ambassador to Pakistan is expelled. Heidi said, “Islamophobia in Europe was an exaggeration”.
Heidi serves as a rapporteur for the GSP Regulations and is responsible for negotiations with various political groups as well as applicant countries.
According to Heidi, the two resolutions were a “signal” to the government of Pakistan that the continuation of the GSP plus scheme without further implementation of UN conventions is not guaranteed.
She noted, “We would like to see a bit more rapid implementation of the laws, particularly anti-torture law, sexual violence, and protection of women and children rights”.
Two resolutions have been passed by the European Parliament within the last six months to review Pakistan’s GSP Plus status, which is set to expire in 2023 if it is not withdrawn before that.
The EU continues to be Pakistan’s largest export destination with more than €3 billion worth of goods exported during the first half of the ongoing year, up by 11%.
Earlier in 2014, Pakistan had achieved the GSP plus status which will be expiring in two years. The bloc of 27 nations has also revealed a fresh proposal for the period between 2024-33.
Heidi explained that the misuse of the blasphemy law, as well as the protection of civic rights, drove the European Parliament resolutions. She added the 27 UN conventions require the Pakistani government to respect the rights of minorities.
The vice president said soon there will be a European Commission Monitoring Mission in Islamabad that comprises a long list of questions for the government regarding the implementation of these laws.
Heidi added that whether the GSP Plus scheme will be continued or not is not guaranteed as it will depend on whether the rights have been granted and enforced.
She added that the government is required to take this issue seriously and the meetings that have been carried out under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister are seen as a positive sign. The National Human Rights Commission will also play an important role in monitoring that fundamental rights are ensured.
Heidi talked about a new national action plan aimed at businesses and human rights and remarked that these are the measures the country should be prepared for. Pakistan is the second Asian country to adopt a national action plan while the EU adopted it 10 years ago.
Heading the delegation, Nicola Procaccini said that to ensure that EU-Pakistan relations become stronger “we need something from our interlocutor and in this case, we have asked Pakistan to focus on minority rights and respect media freedom”.
While answering a question about journalists being attacked, Procaccini said that “it was impossible to understand the situation on the ground in two days but we heard some concerns from the media”.
He added, “This is obviously a problem for us. For the European Union freedom of media is one of the basic pillars of the rule of the law. We do not know the exact situation but we are worried about the situation,” he added.
In a response to a question about Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan’s (TLP) demand of expulsion of the French ambassador, Heidi said, “the EU member states are fully in solidarity with each other and such drastic demand by people is clearly negative and is an excessive reaction to what may have happened”.
She added that the government is responsible for pacifying these groups that are quite vocal.
There is a population of 23 million Muslims in Europe. “I am not saying that everything in Europe is perfect but I think it is exaggerated to say that Europe is full of Islamophobia” added Heidi.
She noted that the demand for the expulsion of the ambassador is not a positive signal and it is part of a bigger problem.
Answering the question that whether a political decision pertaining to the status of an ambassador had a connection with UN conventions, Heidi said, “Of course there is a link but it is not the direct link”.
The vice president noted, “It gives a certain reflection of the atmosphere in Pakistan, which can be quite quickly heated and the government is very much responsible for this kind of situation to be cooled down and find solutions. Certainly, we hope that the government is not subordinating itself to excessive demands by the radical groups.”
