Federal Minister for Human Rights Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar met with a European Parliamentary delegation led by Member of the European Parliament Ms. Marry Khan. The meeting discussed Pakistan-European Union relations, human rights, legal matters, GSP+, geopolitical issues and other matters of mutual interest. The delegation included Mr. Dennis Hohloch, Mr. Stanislav Stoyanov, Mr. Tomasz Froelich, Mr. Dan Paddock and Mr. Moses.
Federal Minister for Human Rights Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar briefed the delegation on Pakistan’s constitutional and legal system, human rights and the relevant legal framework, including Pakistan’s perspective on these issues.
The Federal Minister emphasized that Pakistan’s domestic and legal matters need to be understood in their constitutional, legal, social and regional context. He said Pakistan had made significant sacrifices over the past several decades in the fight against terrorism and extremism, which should also be taken into consideration while assessing human rights and security-related issues in Pakistan.
Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar said Pakistan’s legal system operates in accordance with constitutional requirements, domestic laws and local realities, while constitutional and legal protections are available for the rights of religious minorities.
The Federal Minister also briefed the delegation on Pakistan’s cyber laws, explaining that they cover freedom of expression, access to information, cyber offences, financial fraud and other related offences. He said Pakistan had undertaken a comparative review of its cyber laws with those of Europe, the Far East and North America, and offered to share the relevant document with the European delegation.
The European Parliamentary delegation acknowledged Pakistan’s geostrategic importance and the challenges faced by the country in the region, stressing the need to further enhance cooperation between Pakistan and Europe in view of shared interests and common challenges.
Members of the delegation emphasized the importance of understanding Pakistan’s human rights issues in their cultural, historical and geographical context.
The European Parliamentary delegation stressed the need for meaningful dialogue between Pakistan and the European Union on human rights, GSP+ and other matters, and emphasized the importance of presenting Pakistan’s perspective more effectively before the European Parliament.
The delegation also called for greater engagement and dialogue to address existing misunderstandings between Pakistan and Europe and proposed holding a conference at the European Parliament to promote a better understanding of Pakistan’s perspective.
Both sides expressed their commitment to further strengthening mutual understanding, parliamentary engagement and bilateral relations between Pakistan and Europe.
