Facing European Union’s enhanced scrutiny over its handling of human right issues particularly related to fake blasphemy cases, Pakistan is making frantic efforts to salvage its image. The country’s main concern is to ensure continuation of benefits under GSP plus scheme of EU. The facility, granted for ten years (2014-23), allows Pakistan duty-free access on over 66% of its exports subject to implementation of 27 core UN conventions on labour conditions, human rights, women & child rights, religious freedom, governance, etc. As the current framework expires in end- 2023, the EU is proposing to add 5 new conventions. To make matters worse for Pakistan, there are reports that European Parliament (EP) may even ask to increase the number to 11 new conventions.

The role of Pakistani institutions

Meanwhile, some groups of MEPs in the European Parliament (EP) have started to call out the dubious role played by Pakistani institutions in suppressing/manipulating information about discrimination against minorities. Identity and Democracy (ID) group in EP presented a motion in April 2022 for parliamentary resolution; highlighting human right abuses in Pakistan. The group has requested EP to include the agenda for a debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Pakistan.

The ID group further asserted that religious minorities in Pakistan including Christians continue to experience attacks and discrimination from extremist groups and the wider society. Christians who constitute a minority of less than 2% in Pakistan have to suffer discrimination, intolerance, persecution, blasphemy accusations, sexual assaults, forced conversions and forced marriages. The community was a target of at least 38 persecution incidents in the second half of 2020 alone. ID group also stated that the blasphemy laws are disproportionally implemented against religious minorities in Pakistan where at least 20 people convicted of blasphemy remain on death row. Christian and Hindu women in Pakistan are particularly vulnerable to abduction, rape and forced marriage. The motion has specifically pointed out the case of a Christian couple, Shagufta Kausar and Shafqat Emmanuel who were held guilty of sending blasphemous texts to a mosque cleric and sentenced to death in April 2014. The couple remains imprisoned since 2013. Blasphemy cases have recently been registered against two nurses, Newish Urooj and Mariam Lal.

ID group urged the EU member States and the European Commission (EC) to reassess Pakistan’s eligibility to benefit from the GSP plus and to receive aid from European countries. It also demanded that Islamabad protect, promote and respect the right to freedom of religion in accordance with its international obligations.

Parliamentary questions

The motion was followed by pointed questions from Filip De Man, a prominent MEP belonging to the ID group. Filip submitted (May 25) two Parliamentary questions on the intent and seriousness of Pakistan in dealing with human right violations. According to him, being an important trade partner of EU, Pakistan benefits from the advantages of GSP Plus. However, it is clear from Amnesty International’s 2021 annual report, that the country does not take the slightest notice of these terms and conditions, and that the ‘Change through Trade’ approach adopted by the EU institutions is based on a world view that is both utopian and naive. Filip further questioned the millions in development aid to a country whose government is guilty of persecuting followers of other faiths both within its own country and in those areas of Kashmir under its control as well as tortures opponents of the regime and oppresses women.

The MEP specifically queried about measures taken by the EC to bring pressure on the regime in Pakistan. Filip has also asked about the proposed steps the EC plans to take in the coming months to restrict the import of Pakistani products or raise import tariffs, at least until Islamabad complies with its obligations.

On its part, surrounded by the twin pressures of increasing burden of compliance and worsening human right conditions internally, Islamabad has resorted to its old practice of lobbying. Various Pakistani stakeholders including diplomats and businessmen have begun lobbying efforts to project a fake narrative around their ostensible willingness to improve upon the human right conditions in the country. As the next review is underway, Pak Embassies in Europe are actively trying to convince host countries for the continuation of the scheme. The Pak Mission in Brussels is also working to revive exchange of parliamentary visits/parliamentary contacts, activate regular interaction of Pakistan-Belgium Parliamentary Friendship Group to encourage personal exchanges among legislators of both sides so as to widen Islamabad’s outreach among European policymakers.

The powerful exporters lobby of Pakistan has also opened channels of communications with professional lobbyists active in Europe. A Sweden based firm, Kreab is apparently in touch with the the Pakistan Textile Council (PTC) on the issue. The firm has assured PTC to take up their case in Europe and ensure a favourable coverage for Pakistan. It remains to be seen whether Islamabad is able to secure a repeat of its earlier successes in shaping the opinion of EU policymakers or it is compelled to make some meaningful changes in its otherwise rather apathetic approach towards minorities.

L'articolo European Parliament to confront Pakistan on rising Blasphemy cases proviene da InsideOver.

The Chinese government is upgrading its surveillance efforts against key minorities, a recent report from Citizen Lab has discovered.

In September 2019, Apple Inc confirmed that the phones of mostly-Muslim minority, Uighurs – considered a terrorist and radical threat by the Chinese government – were hacked to monitor their community.

The Chinese hackers also spied on Tibetans in exile through their iPhone. The Citizen Lab report suggested that both attacks were carried out by the same hackers working with the Chinese government.

The report also suggested that the Chinese government may currently be upgrading its surveillance efforts against key minority groups, which it considers to be enemies of the state.

In China, it is not just minority groups who are under surveillance. By next year, every member of the population will be subject to the “social credit system”.

“I can’t buy property. My child can’t go to a private school,” Liu Hu, a journalist writing about censorship and corruption in China said. “You feel you’re being controlled by the list all the time.”

Hu was listed on a List of Dishonest Persons Subject to Enforcement by the Supreme People’s Court and was prevented from taking flights, because of his low social credit system.

“There was no file, no police warrant, no official advance notification. They just cut me off from the things I was once entitled to. What’s scary is there’s nothing you can do about it. You can report to no one. You are stuck in the middle of nowhere.”

In April 2018, the Communist-ruled party boasted of blocking Chinese nationals from taking 11.14 million flights and 4.25 million high-speed rail trips. Deductions are made for bad behaviour, such as traffic violations or playing too much video games, while points are added for good behaviour, such as being a parent.

China aims to have about 626 million surveillance cameras in the country, to be used as part of the social credit system. Observed behaviour caught on camera, which are not in line with what the Community party deems “good”, decreases citizens’ social credit scores.

Xi Jinping aims for total control of his people’s political, mental and philosophical views. Political commentators have, however, argued that beneath Xi’s desire for totalitarianism is an insecure fear of dissent and political rejection from his supporters. To maintain his timeless rule as president, the social credit system punishes minor social and political dissent as small as jaywalking, and hands out rewards for total conformity to Communist ideals of good citizenship.

For Xi, the founder of modern China, Mao Zedong’s ideologies, will best lead China towards political and economic greatness in the eyes of the world.

“If at the time of reform Comrade Mao had been completely repudiated, would our party still be standing? Would our country’s system of socialism still be standing?” he asked the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee several days after becoming their general secretary.

“These things cannot be cut away from the entire history of our party and our country. To grasp this is to grasp everything. This is not just an intellectual issue—it is a political issue.”

Behind Xi’s ideologies for a great China lies fear of the outside world. Differing ideologies cannot be tolerated in Xi’s China. Although his family was persecuted, murdered and tortured – and he banished – during the Maoist era, Xi’s belief in the Maoist ideals of self-sacrifice for the greater good is demanded of his people. The Western culture of democracy, individualism and self-determination cannot be tolerated, neither can religious beliefs, feminist beliefs, human rights beliefs and many more.

Ironically, Xi’s family do not conform to ideals of self-sacrifice, amassing wealth for themselves in both China and offshore accounts.

“Rein in your spouses, children, relatives, friends, and staff, and vow not to use power for personal gain,’’ he told officials during a 2004 conference call.

In a volume of his internal speeches, published in January 2016, titled: ‘Excerpts of Xi Jinping’s Remarks on the Strict Maintenance of Party Discipline’, Xi is highly critical of corruption in the Chinese political system.

“The higher the positions of power these people are in, they less seriously they take party political discipline, even to the point of recklessness and sheer audacity,” he writes.

“Some are inflated with a political will to power, entirely in the service of personal profits or the vested interests of their clique, running their plots and dealings outside existing party organizations that damage and split the party.”

It seems that, apart from Xi’s own family, conformity is an utmost requirement for everyone in China. Like most totalitarian leaders, China’s president is too hypocritical to follow his authoritarian ideologies.

L'articolo How Surveillance is Used to Punish Nonconforming Citizens in China proviene da InsideOver.