New Delhi
27 February 2007
freedoms and institutions in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir was irrefutable and her report
on "Kashmir: Present Situation and Future Prospects" was fair and accurate, Baroness
Emma Nicholson said.
In an exclusive interview to this newspaper, Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne, who
is the rapporteur of the report which is being debated in Brussels, said, "I am delighted
with the progress of the report. I and the shadow rapporteurs from other political groups
in the European Parliament have worked hard to put together 16 compromise
amendments which will pull in to the report most of the points put forward by other MEPs
(members of European Parliament)."
On the debate itself, she said, "We find it difficult to accommodate the very extreme
views such as those amendments which seek to wipe out the report completely. In the
main, we have, we think, been fair and accurate and brought in some good points ....
There are some UK MEPs, however, who seem determined to scupper it by any methods
... demanding my removal, declaring it inadmissible, saying the report should not
mention Pakistan, using arguments that are little difficulty to take ... seriously".
Baroness Nicholson has "forecast" that the report "will go well" but "not smoothly"
because of "fierce opposition by a tiny minority of UK colleagues who are pandering to
some ugly pressure, political pressure, domestically in the UK."
She responded to a question about a Labour MEP Richard Howitt, who recently said in
New Delhi that the report was not fair, by saying, "He thinks the position of the people in
[Pakistan Occupied Kashmir] is perfectly acceptable in terms of democracy, he also
thinks there are acceptable democratic freedoms in Gilgit and Baltistan ... we differ on
that. There is ample scope for greater democracy for them."
"The evidence I have collected is irrefutable," she asserted, "because it comes from the
people themselves."
"We are committed to democratic values of peace, freedom of expression, regular
election, freedom of choice of candidate, exemplified by democracies everywhere [but]
are rare or absent in non-democratic societies ... [also] freedom to worship, human rights
to all, pluralistic society, [we will] like to see," she said.
She noted that "Kashmir" currently stands divided into four parts. "One part is in China,
two parts in Gilgit and Baltistan and [Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir] and one part that is
Jammu and Kashmir. We wish for the good of the people while accepting that European
Union is not invited [to mediate]."
She said Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has invited her and that he has agreed to
her visit to Gilgit and Baltistan.
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