Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-10-26-Speech-5-119-000"
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"en.20121026.6.5-119-000"2
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".
Mr President, Vice-President/High Representative Ashton has strongly condemned the shooting of 14-year-old Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai, who was attacked on 9 October by extremists. She described this as a vile aggression and an assault both on basic human values and against all human rights defenders in Pakistan. It is encouraging that Malala is responding well to her treatment at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham and, like all of the Members who have spoken here, we too wish her a speedy recovery from her injuries.
It is utterly disturbing that the Pakistani Taliban, who took responsibility for the attack, announced that they would try to kill Malala again should she recover from her injuries. We expect that the Pakistan Government will make every effort to ensure the safety of Malala Yousafzai and her family, and others who are facing similar threats. Malala is well known for advocating girls’ rights to education in Pakistan. She took a courageous stance against the Taliban, who launched an insurgency in the Swat Valley in 2009 where she is from. We can only admire this girl for her courage.
Education is one of the EU’s priority areas for cooperation with Pakistan, with the emphasis on basic and vocational education. In doing this, we pay special attention to ensure access to education for girls. We want to work with Pakistan to build an education system which helps to promote tolerance.
Issues relating to the rights of women and children are regularly raised in the European Union’s human rights dialogue with Pakistan, most recently during the February 2012 EU-Pakistan Joint Commission, and the High Representative addressed this question during her visit to Islamabad on 5 and 6 June.
The EU has encouraged the Pakistan Government to take urgent measures to ensure protection for the rights of women. Moreover, we provide funding for a range of human rights projects in Pakistan, which have included trafficking in human beings, ending discrimination and violence against women and children, access to justice and women’s political empowerment.
Important new legislation has been introduced and we intend to work closely with the provinces, which now have widespread responsibilities in these areas. But we are deeply concerned at the damage that the climate of intimidation and violence is doing to Pakistan’s development. Following adoption of the EU-Pakistan engagement plan, we aim to enhance the existing dialogue by regular sectoral dialogues on security, including the rule of law and access to justice, as well as human rights. Countering violent extremism is expected to be part of this dialogue. We hope to step up our cooperation with Pakistan in the coming years. Supporting Pakistan’s democratic institutions and its civil society must be a central part of this.
The incident on 9 October led to outrage throughout Pakistani society. Prime Minister Ashraf was right when he reacted by saying that Pakistan should not allow the future of its children to be endangered by a militant mindset. He has pledged to uproot the menace of extremism. We should do whatever we can to help those in Pakistan who are ready to stand up against terrorism and ideologically-motivated violence."@en1
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