Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-01-16-Speech-3-298"
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"en.20080116.14.3-298"2
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"Madam President, the assassination of Benazir Bhutto is nothing less than a national tragedy and came as a shock to all of us. Mrs Bhutto was, I think for all of us, a symbol of a moderate and liberal Pakistan. She enjoyed popular support and she also had the courage to challenge extremism and terrorism. It was perhaps, unfortunately, this very courage for which she ultimately paid with her life. Her murder is a loss for the millions of Pakistanis who had placed hope in her for democracy and a better future. Her death is also a loss for Europe and the world.
I also remain concerned about the security situation in Pakistan, particularly in the light of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, but also recent bomb attacks in Lahore, Karachi and, of course, the North-Western Territory frontier province. We urge the Pakistani authorities to do all they can to provide a securer environment in which the elections can be held, and we will carefully then assess the security situation in the light of the deployment of EU observers.
President Musharraf has taken off his uniform as promised. I hope that this will result in progress towards stronger civilian institutions and sustainable democracy in Pakistan. But it is also important that Pakistan continues to make progress in fighting poverty. The Commission has, therefore, significantly increased its development cooperation funding to Pakistan for the coming years, including in the field of education. And I remain committed to this approach, which I also see as a contribution towards fighting extremism.
It is unfortunate that disturbing news from Pakistan has become all too common, nearly every day. Hardly a week passes without a major terrorist attack, and some 700 Pakistanis have been killed by suicide bombers over the past six months. I believe we can draw a lesson from Mrs Bhutto’s death, and that is that Pakistan needs a functioning democracy, the rule of law and a strong civil society to address the country’s mounting challenges.
You will recall that the country was placed under emergency rule on 3 November. This, of course, greatly undermined confidence in the democratic process in advance of parliamentary elections. Emergency rule was then lifted on 15 December, but only after new media restrictions had been imposed and most of the senior judiciary replaced. A number of judges and lawyers remain in detention to this day. They should be released without delay.
The outpouring of anger following the murder of Mrs Bhutto led to civil unrest and ultimately the decision to postpone elections from 8 January to 18 February. These elections should now be held as planned, without any further delay. I think Pakistan has to move ahead, and the way forward is to organise democratic and transparent elections which result in a broad and also a credible popular mandate for new governments, both at the federal but also at the provincial level. We should jointly pass this message to President Musharraf when he comes to visit Europe next week.
Some players are trying to draw political capital from the Bhutto assassination. Let us not forget that it is, ultimately, extremist forces who are interested in destabilising Pakistan and who are responsible for this despicable act. They should not be allowed to succeed. A credible investigation into the murder can help to calm the waves, but only if everybody keeps a level head. Let me add that Scotland Yard is doing a commendable job in trying to help in this respect.
President Musharraf spoke of the need for national reconciliation when he addressed the nation on 2 January. I think this is indeed what is required. The opposition has to be taken on board in coping with the current situation. Significantly, all major opposition parties will participate in the forthcoming elections. But, regrettably, Pakistan has a history of lack of trust in electoral outcomes, which could lead to further political polarisation. Naturally, the chances for national reconciliation will greatly improve if President Musharraf and the relevant authorities do whatever is necessary to ensure that these elections are held in a fair and transparent manner.
Because these elections are so important, not only for Pakistan but also for the region, I decided to deploy an election observation mission (EOM) with the aim of contributing to democracy and stability in the country. If the elections had really been held on 8 January as originally planned, we could only have fielded a limited observation mission. However, in view of the time that is now available until the elections, in consultation with the Chief Observer, Mr Michael Gahler, who is a Member of this Parliament, I decided to upgrade the mission to a fully-fledged election observation mission. We are all very much aware of the important role this mission is likely to play in the coming weeks.
I continue to be very concerned about the conditions in which these elections are held and the potential for this to lead to a critical statement from the EOM if steps are not urgently taken to address these concerns. Key problems, including lack of confidence in the election administration, lack of transparency in the results process, and the lack of an effective complaints and appeals process in which stakeholders have confidence, are all present in Pakistan.
Concrete steps could still be taken by the state and the electoral authorities to improve the conditions for elections. I understand that both EU Heads of Mission in Islamabad and the election observation mission on the ground have already outlined the key improvements that are necessary. I think we should make every effort to stress these points with the Pakistani authorities, including with the President, when he visits Brussels soon."@en1
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