 The National Assembly yesterday denounced the European Parliament's refusal to meet a delegation of Pakistani senators because it included a pro-Taliban Islamic party leader. The presence of Maulana Samiul Haq, head of his faction of Jamiat Ulema Islam party, in the delegation sparked the row when the team arrived on Wednesday at the airport in Brussels. Senator Haq, who also runs a large seminary in Pakistan, was also held up at the airport for an hour and finally allowed to enter the city after hectic contacts with the Belgian Government, official sources said. "The House strongly condemns the incident and the indecent attitude of the Belgian authorities towards the Pakistan Senate delegation," the assembly said in a unanimous resolution.
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The resolution demanded that the government lodge an official protest with Belgium and the European Union so that no parliamentary delegation faces "such an embarrassing situation in future".
| "I mean, can you imagine what they woulda done if we'd sent Osama bin Laden?" |
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Khusro Bakhtiar told the assembly in the house that the envoys of Belgium and the European Union were summoned by the Foreign Office to convey Pakistan's deep concern and protest over the incident. Lawmakers from both the government and opposition flayed the discriminatory behaviour of the European Parliament and termed it an insult to Pakistan and its parliament. They pointed out that the members of the delegation, which was led by senator and ruling party secretary-general Mushahid Hussain Sayed, had travelled to Brussels after completing all formalities. "The discriminatory attitude of the European Parliament is in sharp contrast to its professed commitment to democratic norms and respect for human rights. It sends a negative signal to developing countries," said Liaquat Baloch of Muttahida Majlis Amal religious alliance. |