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Rubio Urges Obama To Demand Pakistani Cooperation On Security And Human Rights

Oct 22, 2015 | Press Releases

Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights and, Global Women’s Issues, today issued the following statement regarding President Obama’s meeting with the Prime Minister of Pakistan:
 
“As President Obama meets with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today, he should take this opportunity to seek full Pakistani cooperation with the U.S.-led mission in Afghanistan and our broader counterterrorism efforts in the region. Pakistan must fulfill its obligations to deny safe haven to all terrorist groups and take action against those who aid, support and abet them. Continued U.S. security assistance should be conditioned on Pakistan’s actions against militants that seek to destabilize Afghanistan and threaten the U.S., as well as steps Islamabad takes to support accountable, civilian governance. One sign of Pakistan’s seriousness is its handling of the case of Shakil Afridi, who assisted U.S. efforts to locate Osama bin Laden.
 
“In addition to discussing security cooperation, President Obama must make human rights issues a priority in his discussions with Prime Minister Sharif. Pakistan should enforce its laws equally, giving women and religious minorities the full protections they deserve. In particular, it is long past time for Islamabad to repeal Pakistan’s harsh blasphemy laws, which unjustly carry a death sentence and enable extremists to blackmail and intimidate their opponents. Prisoners on death row for this ‘crime’ should be released immediately.
 
“I hope our two countries can improve our cooperation on these important issues.”