ISLAMABAD – Four Pakistani origin Members of European Parliament (MEPs)have completed their term in the parliament which was completing its eighthterm this week with its last session taking place in Strasbourg.
Parliamentarians named Sajjad Haider Karim, Amjad Bashir, Wajid Khan andBaroness Nosheena Mobarik played an active role in the plenaries as well asin different parliamentary groups, delegations and committees, a messagereceived here Wednesday said.
Besides working to promote interests of the country, they represented andthe European Union in the perspective of international politics, they alsotook up issues pertaining to Muslims and Pakistan including Kashmir,Palestine and Myanmar.
After the last session of the parliament the Pakistan origin MEPs sharedtheir experiences of working in one of the world’s largest parliament of751 members.
Dr Sajjad Haider Karim who was awarded Sitara-e- Quaid-e-Azam in 2014 bythe government of Pakistan was member of EU Parliament since 2004 and alsoplayed an effective role in grant of Generalized System of Preferences(GSP)+ status to Pakistan.
He said with his Pakistani roots he took the view that we must do the bestto facilitate in improving relationship of the EU with Pakistan.
He said the United Kingdom had always been Pakistan’s best friend in the EUand it wanted to help countries of Commonwealth and South – Asia includingPakistan.
Amjad Bashir got elected as Member of European Parliament in 2014. Heraised his voice for Muslims and Pakistan in the European Parliament. Hesaid after the incident of martyrdom of Burhan Wani, he emphatically raisedhis voice in the European Parliament and drew attention towards the HumanRights violations in Kashmir particularly the use of pellet guns.
His concerns were noted at various levels and Indian government also becamecognizant of this fact and when he wanted to visit India as part of the EUTrade Delegation he was denied visa by the Indian government.
Wajid Khan was a new entrant to European Parliament and had only two yearsin this term of the parliament yet he made remarkable contribution. Mostimportantly in February 2019, he organized historic “Official Exchange ofViews on Situation of Human Rights in Indian occupied Kashmir.”
Read Top Stories
It was after that the Kashmir issue was taken up officially in the EUparliament. The debate was attended by more than 400 participants including22 MEPs besides UN’s representative Christine Chung who had also been oneof the authors of Report on Human Rights Situation in Kashmir released inJune 2018 by the Office of UN High Commissioner on Human Rights.
The government of Pakistan conferred Sitara-e– Quaid-e-Azam on Wajid Khanin March 2019, in recognition of his effective role in the EuropeanParliament particularly for raising issues pertinent to interests ofPakistan.
Baroness Nosheena Mobarik who served as the only Muslim Women Member inthis term of the European Parliament said with her long standingrelationship with Pakistan she always thought of making a contributiontowards improving Pakistan’s relations with the EU.
In this connection, she took a delegation of European Parliamentarians toPakistan where they got the chance to visit Lahore School of FashionDesign, industrial units and educational institutions besides meetings withthe high officials and politicians.
She said this visit changed their perceptions about Pakistan and thedelegates termed it as one of their best visits.
After coming back from Pakistan the European Conservatives and ReformistsGroup organized a conference on Technical Education in Pakistan.
She received Pakistan’s Civil Award Tamgha-e-Imtiaz in 2012 in recognitionof her work in improving Pakistan–Scotland relations.
