Islamabad:A delegation of the European Parliament, led by Member of the European Parliament Marie Khan, called on Federal Minister for Human Rights Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar here on Thursday and discussed Pakistan-European Union relations, human rights, legal matters, GSP+ and geopolitical issues.
The delegation comprised Dennis Hohloch, Stanislav Stoyanov, Tomasz Froelich, Dan Padu and Moses.
During the meeting, the Federal Minister briefed the delegation on Pakistan’s constitutional and legal framework and its perspective on human rights-related matters.
Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar said Pakistan’s internal and legal matters needed 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.
The minister highlighted that Pakistan’s legal system took into account constitutional requirements, domestic laws and local realities. He also briefed the delegation on the constitutional and legal rights of religious minorities and the relevant legal framework in Pakistan.
Discussing cyber laws, the minister said these covered freedom of expression, access to information, cybercrime, financial fraud and other relevant offences. He said Pakistan had also undertaken comparative assessments of its cyber laws with those of Europe, the Far East and North America.
He offered to share with the European delegation a document based on a comparative review of Pakistani and European laws.
The European parliamentary delegation acknowledged Pakistan’s geostrategic importance and the challenges faced by the region. The delegation stressed the need to enhance cooperation between Pakistan and Europe in the context of shared interests and common challenges.
The delegation also observed that Pakistan’s cultural, historical and geographical context should be taken into account while developing the European perspective on the country. It emphasized that human rights-related issues in Pakistan should also be understood in the Pakistani context.
The European parliamentarians said allegations against Pakistan driven by geopolitical interests were inappropriate and stressed the need for further dialogue between Pakistan and the European Union on human rights, GSP+ and other areas of mutual concern.
The delegation underlined the importance of presenting Pakistan’s perspective more effectively before the European Parliament and called for greater engagement and dialogue to address misunderstandings between Pakistan and Europe.
The meeting also discussed a proposal to hold a conference at the European Parliament to facilitate a better understanding of Pakistan’s perspective.
Both sides expressed their commitment to further strengthening bilateral relations and promoting greater mutual understanding.