EU envoy urges Pakistan to uphold human rights, rule of law amid GSP+ review

ISLAMABAD: The European Union has urged Pakistan to implement all relevant international conventions vis-à-vis human rights, freedom of expression, religious freedom and media independence, among other important issues.   

European Union’s Special Representative for Human Rights (EUSR) Ambassador Olof Skoog, who is in Pakistan on a week-long visit ahead of the GSP+ monitoring mission’s visit to Pakistan in June, held meetings with top government functionaries and discussed with them a host of issues including human rights, labour rights, minority rights and accountability for violations of these rights.

The EU envoy discussed with top officials Pakistan’s efforts to address these issues in the context of its Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) status.

Ambassador Skoog held meetings with federal, provincial ministers, military leadership, officials of multinational institutions including the United Nations, civil society members, human rights lawyers, media representatives and traders’ leaders.

The EU ambassador also highlighted blasphemy laws, women’s rights, forced marriages and conversions, enforced disappearances, due process, the right to a fair trial, civic space and the death penalty.

According to the EU’s website, during his meeting with Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, the EU envoy said, “Pakistan remains a key partner for the EU in South Asia. Our relationship is built on shared values of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, guided by the principles of the UN Charter and international norms. The EU welcomes the fact that Pakistan has become the largest beneficiary of GSP+, with Pakistani businesses increasing their exports to the EU market by 108 per cent since the launch of the trade scheme in 2014.”

The statement said, “As we approach the midterm of the current monitoring cycle, we encourage Pakistan to continue on its reform path as it prepares for reapplication under the upcoming new GSP+ regulation. The trade benefits under GSP+ depend on the progress made on addressing a list of issues, including human rights and tangible reforms remain essential.”

The EUSR envoy also met with Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and other top officials.

The EUSR envoy and Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Yahya Afridi also met and discussed the judicial backlog and independence of judiciary.