Brussels, 24/04/2002 (Agence Europe) - When discussing the John Cushnahan Report (Irish, EPP-ED) on the third generation EU/Pakistan co-operation agreement, the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee expressed concern at the decision taken by President Musharraf of holding a referendum on 30 April on a five year prolongation of his term of office as president. The Constitution allows for the holding of referenda on all subjects of national importance, but recourse to such a procedure to elect a president goes against both the Constitution and the democratic line that the Pakistani President set himself, remarked the Committee's Chair, Elmar Brok (German, Christian-Democrat), stressing that this referendum had not to jeopardise the general elections scheduled for October.
In a press release, Mr. Cushnahan welcomed the fact that his colleagues should have backed his strategy aimed at postponing the European Parliament's assent for the new EU/Pakistan agreement until after the October elections. Speaking before the parliamentary committee, Mr. Cushnahan said that the decision to hold a referendum "is in conflict with the Pakistani Constitution", and expressed concern as to the possibility that political parties should not participate freely in the electoral campaign. Mr. Cushnahan notes, in particular, that "the fact that each citizen aged over eighteen with a valid identity card, may vote in any electoral constituency of their choice creates the possibility of electoral fraud", and considers that it is not therefore "surprising that the proposed referendum should have come up against significant opposition in Pakistan itself, throughout the political landscape". While appreciating progress made in Pakistan during Musharraf's presidency and his backing for the world anti-terrorism coalition, he said that the holding of such a referendum leads to a fear that the Pakistani president "is moving away significantly from his undertaking to return the country to democracy by October". He then stressed that the Foreign Affairs Committee should check whether human rights and the democratic principles set out in Article 1 of the third generation agreement were being respected: only then, "will I be able to recommend to the parliamentary committee that Parliament provide its assent to the co-operation agreement or not", he promised.