New Delhi

A shrill campaign in Pakistan to expel the French ambassador and the support by the Imran Khan government to the Tehreek-e-Labbyak Party’s this demand has led to yet another possible blow to the beleaguered Pakistani economy and relations with Europe. The European Parliament has passed a resolution against Islamabad’s blasphemy laws and asked the European Union members to withdraw preferential trade status to the Islamic country.

The resolution was passed in the ongoing session of the European parliament in Brussels with 662 to 3, with 26 not voting.

The resolution Blasphemy laws in Pakistan, in particular, the case of Shagufta Kausar and Shafqat Emmanuel.” said, “MEPs are concerned for the health and wellbeing of Pakistani couple Shagufta Kausar and Shafqat Emmanuel, who was sentenced to death on blasphemy charges in 2014. Since their conviction, based on deeply flawed evidence, they have been held captive and isolated from each other and their families, while their appeal process has been postponed repeatedly.”

The resolution notes that Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws, despite never having led to official executions, incite harassment, violence and murder against those being accused.

However, the final resolution asked the member countries and “the European External Action Service (EEAS) to immediately review Pakistan’s eligibility for GSP+ status in the light of current events and whether there is sufficient reason to initiate a procedure for the temporary withdrawal of this status and the benefits that come with it, and to report to the European Parliament on this matter as soon as possible.”

This provision was voted separately and received even more votes in favour, passing with 678 votes in favour, 8 against, and 10 not voting.

According to Pakistani Business Council, the country has a trade surplus of $2.14 billion with European Union(2016). Pakistan reported $6.92 billion worth of exports to the EU, making the EU Pakistan’s largest export partner. However, the decline in textile industry of Pakistan has brough the trade down in recent years. Moreover, the EU is Pakistan’s third-largest import partner with Pakistan reporting imports from the EU worth $4.78 billion in 2016.

The final resolution passed in the European parliament said, "Pakistan’s blasphemy laws provided the impetus for the referendum. These laws have led to Muslims, Hindus, Christians and others face stiff prison sentences, including the death penalty, for statements related to Islam. They have also led people accused of violations of these laws to be killed in mob violence.'

Charlie Weimer of Sweden, who co-authored the resolution, in his speech said Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan, rather than defend his citizens' human rights against false accusers, equated denial of the Holocaust and genocide to criticism of Islam’s prophet.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry has expressed “the government's disappointment at the European the resolution, saying it “reflects a lack of understanding in the context of blasphemy laws and associated religious sensitivities in Pakistan — and in the wider Muslim world”.

"Pakistan’s blasphemy laws provided the impetus for the referendum. These laws have led to Muslims, Hindus, Christians and others to face stiff prison sentences, including the death penalty, for statements related to Islam. They have also led to people accused of violations of these laws getting killed in mob violence."

Pakistan’s Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari said it is unfortunate that the co sponsor of the EU’s anti-Pakistan resolution was a member of a party that the Swedish OM Stefan Lofven referred to as  a ‘neo-fascist single-issue party with Nazi and racist roots.’ Taking to Twitter she wrote:

We have issues to resolve but there has been more movement now on our HR Int Convention commitments than in previous govts. The way forward is dialogue & negotiations, which we have been doing, not extreme public positionings. Unfortunate @AKaminara

— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) April 30, 2021

Foreign Party experts had been warning Imran Khan of reprisals from the 27-member European Union for his giovernment playing to the tunes of the Islamic right-wingers on waht is an internal matter of France. They had counseled the Khan government of indulging in a quiet diplomacy with the European nation and not allowing TLP to take to the streets to seek expulsion of the ambassador.