European Parliamentary Delegation Meets Federal Minister for Human Rights Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar; Discusses Pakistan’s Legal and Human Rights Framework

Islamabad — 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 covered 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.
The Federal Minister briefed the delegation on Pakistan’s constitutional and legal system, human rights and the relevant legal framework, outlining Pakistan’s perspective on these issues.
Senator Tarar 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 factored into any assessment of human rights and security-related issues in the country.
He said Pakistan’s legal system operates in accordance with constitutional requirements, domestic laws and local realities, while constitutional and legal protections remain available for the rights of religious minorities.
The 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 crimes. He noted that Pakistan had undertaken a comparative review of its cyber laws against those of Europe, the Far East and North America, and offered to share the relevant document with the delegation.
The European delegation acknowledged Pakistan’s geostrategic importance and the challenges it faces in the region, stressing the need to further strengthen cooperation between Pakistan and Europe given shared interests and common challenges.
Delegation members emphasized the importance of understanding Pakistan’s human rights issues within their cultural, historical and geographical context.
The delegation called for meaningful dialogue between Pakistan and the EU on human rights, GSP+ and related matters, and stressed the importance of presenting Pakistan’s perspective more effectively before the European Parliament.
It also called for greater engagement to address existing misunderstandings between Pakistan and Europe, and proposed holding a conference at the European Parliament to promote better understanding of Pakistan’s position.
Both sides expressed commitment to further strengthening mutual understanding, parliamentary engagement and bilateral relations between Pakistan and Europe.