In a strong reprimand against "persecution of religious minorities" in Pakistan, European Union (EU) on Tuesday (30 April) threatened to withdraw all subsidies and trade preferences to the country if it failed to take measures to "dismantle" its "discriminatory system,” reports ANI.

"Over the last few years, religious extremist groups, often with the support of the Pakistani State, have grown in influence, further generating religious prejudices against minorities. Concomitantly, instances of attacks against minorities, their places of worship etc. have also increased year upon year,” said the letter addressed to Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The letter, endorsed by fifty-one members of the European Parliament, held previous and present Pakistan governments accountable for contributing and encouraging "acts of violence against minorities by radical Islamic groups.”

It should be noted that this harsh indictment from the EU came just a day before the UN Security Council designated Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist. Presently residing in Pakistan, Azhar has carried out multiple genocide attacks against Indians, primarily in Jammu & Kashmir.

Respect Human Rights

"As members of the European Parliament, we would wish to remind the Islamic Republic of Pakistan that the oppression of religious minorities violated the United Nations treaty on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which is the foundation for the International Convent on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), a binding UN human rights agreement," the letter stated.

"We would be compelled to suspend all subsidies and trade preferences until the effective implementation of the Convention could be assured by the Government of Pakistan," the letter added.

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