Writing a hard-hitting letter to Islamabad, 51 members of the European Parliament have expressed their concern over the persecution of religious minorities, saying that it should be stopped immediately. The European Parliament has sought an assurance from the PM of Pakistan on safety to be provided to the religious minorities in the country. The letter is vehemently opposing the situation of Pakistan and warned Imran Khan that if he doesn’t take proper steps in this case, the European Commission would cancel all the subsidy benefits, which are presently being provided to Pakistan.
The European Commission has showed concern over the killings of people from minority groups. It has asked the country to dismantle any existing regime targets the minorities of the country. This could be seen as an important move as it would also help India build a stronger ground against terrorism emanating from Pakistan. Recently, there was a news of Hindu minority girls being abducted and forcefully converted into Islam and then being married off to Muslim men. The letter especially highlighted the point that girls and women of the minority groups were specifically targeted.
The suspensions of the subsidy by the European Union would lead to huge losses for this country already under huge debt burden. Pakistan enjoys great freedom on its export to EU. The EU supports Pakistan’s integration into the world economy and its sustainable economic development by granting it trade preferences. More than 76% of Pakistan’s exports, including textiles and clothing, enter the EU duty and are quota free. This represents almost 20% of Pakistan’s exports globally. The EU is Pakistan’s most important trading partner, accounting for 12.8% of Pakistan’s total trade in 2015 and absorbing 23.7% of Pakistan’s total exports.
A noteworthy fact in the situation is that European Parliament has finally acknowledged the growing influence of religious extremism in Pakistan. It sheds light upon the fact that these extremist groups have the support of the government in Pakistan. This comes as a good news for India, which is trying its best to alienate Pakistan internationally on the grounds of terrorism flourishing in the Islamic country. A senior government official said, “It’s a good move specially because the letter also talks about forcible conversion of Hindus. India also has been raising this issue for a long time now”
Minority groups like Balochs, Sindhis, Hindus, Christians, Ahmadiyyas etc have been subjected to cruel persecution at the hands of the army in Pakistan. The letter also mentioned that Pakistan is no longer a country that the founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah envisaged at the time of its creation.