CAIRO - As Pakistan marks its 71st National Day, Islamabad's Ambassador in Cairo Seema Naqvi has given the following interview to The Egyptian Gazette in which she paid tribute to the January 25 Revolutions, as well as emphasising her government's full respect to the rights of religious minorities following Western claims that Pakistani extremists were prosecuting Christians. Q. What is Your Excellency's view on the January 25 revolution? A: I can say without exaggeration that it was one of the most extraordinary experiences of my life. As you know, I live rather close to Tahrir Square and stayed in Cairo throughout the 18 days of the revolution. Tanks rumbled past my house and so did ambulances after groups of protesters carrying Egyptian flags and chanting slogans. The sounds of gunfire and tear gas shelling, particularly on Wednesday, February 2, kept me awake and praying all night for those who were being targeted. Then, when the security forces suddenly disappeared. I was impressed by the manner in which young boys in every locality took charge of the streets. I was touched by the way they came to reassure us that they were outside and we need not worry about our security – they would protect us – and they did. I think the experience has brought me very, very close to the people of this country. Q. How do Your Excellency see the Egyptian-Pakistani relations after this revolution? A: Pakistan has enjoyed very friendly and fraternal relations with Egypt in the past and I have every expectation that as the new Egypt takes shape we will move even closer together since we are two nations that have many common experiences, as well as aspirations. The Egyptian people have paid a great human, as well as economic cost for the achievement of their democratic rights. We have had a similar experience. As you know, among the many people who paid even their lives to bring about a democratic change in Pakistan, was one of our most outstanding and promising leaders, Benazir Bhutto. The people of Pakistan can empathise and understand very well what the people of Egypt have gone through and what they are experiencing now. And perhaps there is no bond that is stronger than the bond of a shared experience. Q. Do you agree that the Pakistani-style of government is more agreeable to Egypt rather than the Turkish model after the revolution? A: I think what is most important in this regard is the will of the Egyptian people. The experiences of different countries offer some guidance, of course, however, I believe all models should be discussed and debated among the people, and particularly in the media. Maybe the Egyptian people will choose one or the other model or will come up with a unique Egyptian model that carries the virtues of different models. Q. Pakistan is a country that respects rights of minority groups and has never been a terrorism-exporting country as some Western elements claim, so what is Your Excellency's comment(s) on an allegation that has been made by Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who claims that the Islamabad government is not doing enough to combat extremism and not tackling the persecution of minorities by Muslim extremists following the recent murder of Christian Minister Shahbaz Bhatti? A: The entire Pakistani nation, including Muslim religious scholars, mourned and strongly condemned the heinous assassination of Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs, Shahbaz Bhatti. In Minister Bhatti's death, Pakistan lost a promising leader, a voice of moderation and a strong proponent of interfaith harmony both within the country and across the world. It would be a great disservice to the slain leader and a grave injustice to his life and work if he is projected as a minority leader or as a victim of blasphemy laws. It is evident that the assassins, by committing this heinous criminal act, wanted not only to create a divide on religious lines but also to portray Pakistani society as extremist and intolerant. The presence of huge crowds of both Muslim and Christian friends and followers at Minister Bhatti's funeral effectively refuted this misleading notion. As you are aware, Pakistan has been in the forefront of global efforts to combat terrorism and, over the past nine years, we have lost more than 10,000 civilians and 3,000 personnel of our security forces in the fight against terrorists. More than 17,000 civilians and 7,000 personnel of the security forces have been injured. There were very few Christians among them. The ones who claimed responsibility for Mr Bhatti's murder – the Tehrike-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) - also took responsibility for the above killings of Muslim soldiers and civilians. Terrorists have only one aim – to spread terror – they do not differentiate between one religion and another. However, what is important to see in such situations is who will benefit from creating unnatural divisions within our society – it is obviously the enemies of Pakistan, and Tehrike-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) certainly represents them. Q. Today marks Pakistan's 71st National Day. How would you compare the world that existed 71 years ago with the world we live in today? A: In 1947, the world had just emerged from the horrors of the Second World War. There was an immense shared desire and support among all nations for peace, freedom, human rights and for internationally accepted principles to govern relations among states. Today, we seem to have forgotten most of the lessons of WWII. Our world is a fractured and dysfunctional world – one that seems to have lost its balance. Interstate conduct, human rights, freedom and peace are no longer subject to universally accepted principles – the understanding, as well as application of such principles has become selective and subjective. Moreover, disregard for the environment and ecology of our planet has led to floods, tsunamis, earthquakes and other disasters, on a scale and frequency not seen before. The silver lining on the cloud, of course, are the movements for democracy and freedom that have taken many countries by storm. The Egyptian revolution was phenomenal not only in the sense that it happened, but also in the way in which it happened – through peaceful mass demonstrations that represented many different points of view and all sectors of society.
