Continuation of Pakistan’s Generalized Schemes of Preference (GSP) Plus status hangs in a limbo. While the status will expire in two years, there are concerns that it may be revoked earlier. In an interview with a local newspaper, the European Parliament Vice President Heidi Hautala has unequivocally stated that Islamabad needs to ‘do more’ for the GSP Plus windfall that currently gives Pakistan access to 27 nations in the EU bloc. Heidi leading a delegation of the European Parliament members, visited Islamabad the past week and raised concerns over the human rights situation in the country – a prerequisite for obtaining the scheme. Two resolutions in this regard were passed over the past six months to reconsider Pakistan’s status and a European Commission Monitoring Mission would arrive this year to question the government over “rapid implementation of the laws, particularly anti-torture law, sexual violence, and protection of women and children rights”.
These are legit concerns because the reality is that while Pakistan has done well on paper, it lacks implementation of the same laws. Just last week, the National Assembly had passed the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Bill, 2021. The law requires setting up a commission to investigate, prosecute and punish those people involved in violence and threats against journalists. But we have often seen federal ministers themselves involved in vicious campaigns against independent journalists and media houses. Moreover, while incidences of sexual violence have increased, the government has done little to nothing to curb the situation. Many of those accused roam free after obtaining pre-arrest bails unless the case stays alive on social media, as seen in the high-profile Noor Mukaddam case.
Let us also not forget that a parliamentary committee had just last month rejected the anti-forced conversion bill, despite incidences of girls from minority communities being forcibly converted to Islam. Curtailing religious extremism was a concern raised by the EU delegation recently. And the fact that the government just brokered a deal, details of which are yet to be known, with the right-wing Tehrieek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) can hamper the country’s progress in curbing extremism.
With Pakistan already under the FATF grey-list, the government must realise that cancellation of the GSP Plus can be costly. The EU bloc is Pakistan’s largest export destination. The total bilateral trade with EU-27 was $10.88 billion during the financial year 2020-21. It is time Islamabad starts to walk the talk.
