MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

13.11.2007

to wind up the debate on statements by the Council and Commission
pursuant to Rule 103(2) of the Rules of Procedure
by Jan Tadeusz Masiel, Hanna Foltyn-Kubicka, Ewa Tomaszewska, Ryszard Czarnecki, Gintaras Didžiokas, Adam Bielan and Marcin Libicki
on behalf of the UEN Group
on Pakistan

B6‑0473/2007

European Parliament resolution on Pakistan

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Pakistan,

– having regard to the Cooperation Agreement on Partnership and Development between the European Community and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan of 24 November 2001,

– having regard to its resolution of 24 May 2007 on Kashmir: present situation and future prospects,

– having regard to the repeated calls for the establishment of a free, democratic order in Pakistan,

– having regard to its belief in the right to freedom of expression, freedom of choice and freedom of worship,

– having regard to its consistent support for the equality of all peoples irrespective of race, religion or ethnicity,

– having regard to Rule 103(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas General Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan has suspended the Constitution of Pakistan and all democratic freedoms through a Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) that has imposed virtual martial law in Pakistan,

B. whereas this action by President Musharraf has completely exposed the emptiness of his pretensions to being a believer in democracy, and whereas the promulgation of the PCO has resulted in large-scale and completely unwarranted arrests of human rights activists, eminent political leaders, lawyers and other members of civil society and the dismissal and placing under house arrest of the Chief Justice of Pakistan and other Supreme Court judges who might have questioned General Musharraf’s eligibility to be President of Pakistan,

C. whereas freedom of the press, independence of the judiciary, freedom of expression and assembly and freedom of political activity, which are the hallmarks of a civilised political system, have been overturned,

D. whereas the suicide bomb attack carried out on 18 October 2007 against the opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, President of the Pakistan People's Party, resulted in the deaths of 134 people and the wounding of about 450,

E. whereas President Musharraf was re-elected President of Pakistan on 6 October 2007 on the basis that he would resign as head of the army as soon as the Supreme Court had ruled on the legality of his mandate,

F. whereas national elections are scheduled in Pakistan for January 2008 and the parliamentary term ends on 15 November 2007,

G. whereas on 17 October 2007 the Supreme Court of Pakistan resumed a hearing on the conformity of President Musharraf's election with the constitution and is expected to pronounce its ruling in the next few days,

H. whereas the return of Nawaz Sharif, another former Prime Minister, proved abortive as he was forcibly returned to Saudi Arabia by the Musharraf government four hours after he arrived in Pakistan, and whereas Benazir Bhutto, after months of negotiations, achieved an agreement on power sharing in which Musharraf's desire for a third term of office has been recognised in exchange for the lifting of all corruption charges against Bhutto, clearing the way for her possible election to the post of prime minister,

I. whereas there are clear signs of the militarisation of Pakistani society by the government and the increased role of the secret services, which continue to exert a very broad influence on politics, government and the economy of Pakistan,

1. Expresses its deepest concern about the continuing deterioration of the situation in Pakistan, of which the PCO is the latest manifestation, involving a denial of basic freedoms, impartial justice and equality to all the people of Pakistan;

2. Expresses its concern that President Musharraf's latest action will lead to greater instability marked by violence within Pakistan, threaten the security of the people of Pakistan, encourage extremism, fanaticism and violent action in the absence of democratic freedoms, and thereby threaten peace and stability in Pakistan’s neighbourhood and the free, democratic, liberal systems of the world;

3. Expresses its solidarity with Pakistan in its efforts to resist the rise of terrorist groups; deplores, however, the armed conflicts in Northern Waziristan and the instability in the tribal areas; calls on the government to combat this increasing insurgency-related violence and to impose the rule of law in and extend civil and political rights to this area;

4. Extends its deepest sympathy to the people of Pakistan, and especially to the families of all those killed and injured, following the suicide bomb attack on Benazir Bhutto, and calls on the Government of Pakistan to take immediate action to pursue a thorough and impartial investigation into this despicable act in order to bring all those responsible to trial;

5. Is concerned about the reports of ongoing oppression of religious minorities, such as the Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs and Ahmadis, and the use of the blasphemy laws against them;

6. Calls on the Government of Pakistan to take immediate action to halt such religious-based repression and to ensure the safety of minorities by granting them legal and political protection; calls on Pakistan to revise its judicial rules governing the implementation of the blasphemy laws, which are so widely misused; urges the Government of Pakistan to provide proper protection for lawyers and human rights activists facing threats for defending those accused of blasphemy; urges the Government of Pakistan to provide proper protection for vulnerable religious minority communities facing threats of forced conversion and violent intimidation;

7. Asks the Government of Pakistan, as a precondition for democratic elections, to allow the return of all political leaders who can help to lessen the influence of extremist forces in the country and contribute to establishing a legitimate government through free and fair elections, to replace the current military dictatorship;

8. Urges the Government of Pakistan to accept and implement the Supreme Court's directive to end the disappearances of political opponents;

9. Expects President Musharraf to honour his pledge to relinquish his post of army chief, which he has previously agreed to do on several occasions;

10. Reiterates its call that the caretaker government to be established must be neutral, and expresses again its concern at the fact that the composition of the caretaker government will be determined by President Musharraf alone;

11. Urges Pakistan to take immediate action to restrict the influence of the military in society as a whole; calls on the Government of Pakistan to respect the transition to civilian rule and to strengthen democratic institutions as the only possible way to answer the challenges facing Pakistani society;

12. Welcomes the fact that the EU will monitor the parliamentary elections in Pakistan and that it will participate in the observer mission; is concerned at the possibility that Pakistani women will not participate fully in the democratic process, owing to the fact that an academic qualification is a prerequisite for those wishing to stand for election, which will exclude 70% of Pakistani women; calls for the removal of this restriction;

13. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the Government of Pakistan.