ISLAMABAD: The existential problems posed by the global war against terrorism were laid bare on Tuesday when a group of French senators frankly admitted that the people of France – much like several quarters within Pakistan – did not ‘own’ the fight against terrorists.

“The French people do not understand why they are being targeted. When the government tells them ‘we are at war with terrorists’, they don’t accept it. They see the anti-terrorism measures as being anti-freedom and they ask why they are being taken at all,” said Senator Pascal Allizard, who is also chairman of the France-Pakistan Friendship Group in the French upper house of parliament.

This state of affairs mirrors what has been happening in Pakistan following the introduction of stringent anti-terrorism measures, such as the Protection of Pakistan Act, the formation of military courts and the liberal opposition to the resumption of the death penalty.

French senators stress need for Pakistan, India to work together; say stability on both sides a must for foreign investment

Flanked by Senate Vice President Françoise Cartron and Senator Patricia Morhet-Richaud, the French lawmaker spoke at length about the challenges posed by both, Islamic radicalism and Islamophobia.

“There is some anti-Muslim sentiment,” he told a group of reporters on Tuesday, but hastened to add that, “it is not a prevalent ideology”. Senator Allizard – who was speaking through a translator – clarified that the French did not confuse radical Islam with the religion of peace, but admitted that it was hard to understand the various groups and strains.

However, he said that this was also the religion’s greatest strength. The French concept of secularism, or laïcité, was developed in reaction to the stifling hierarchy of the Catholic Church. In contrast, Islam was much more decentralised, he said.

“In France, religion is a private matter, a subject for each individual. Separation of church and state is the main component of laïcité,” the senator said.

However, he linked the fight against Islamophobia with the fight against terrorism, saying that results in the latter fight would greatly help the former cause.

Talking about the need to rethink the relationship between Pakistan and France, he said: “The Cold War is over, it’s a multilateral world and its time we move beyond the old days.”

When asked about French cooperation with India and how that may affect the relationship with Pakistan, the senator was quick to point out that France did not want to get in the middle of Pakistan and India’s strained relationship.

India and Pakistan need to realise that they have to co-exist, he said, drawing parallels with France’s own troubled relationship with neighbouring Germany.

Senator Allizard recalled that after centuries of distrust, violence and several wars, both countries realised they had to co-exist. “President Charles de Gaulle and Chancellor Konrad Adenauer understood the need to get along,” he said, referring to the Élysée Treaty of 1963.

Both countries are now in such a position in the European Union that nothing can happen in Europe without France and Germany signing off on it, he said.

The senator also spoke about building economic ties with Pakistan and highlighted a number of hurdles that prevented the two countries from doing more business together.

“There are obviously security concerns; red tape that needs to be cut; banking and tax issues on both sides that need to addressed,” he said.

Explaining the problem, he said that French banks were not willing to finance projects in Pakistan because they considered the country a risky investment, giving the example of a French company that wanted to initiate a project in Pakistan. The firm eventually had to seek financing from a German bank because no French institution would bankroll it.

“There needs to be fiscal stability on both sides for us to be able to do business. Before making an investment, we must know what the rules are and in Pakistan, they change the [tax] laws regularly.”

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2016