Don’t take GSP+ for granted, says EU envoy – Pakistan

Islamabad: The European Union warned Pakistan not to assume its GSP+state.

Olof Skoog, the special human rights representative of the EU who is currently in a one -week visit to Pakistan, has also urged the government not to use military courts to pursue cases against citizens, and opposed recent movements to restrict freedom of expression.

Talk with SunriseHe said that he had transmitted these messages in separate meetings with the senior government officials, including the head of the Army, the president of the Supreme Court and the members of the Federal Cabinet.

The focus of your visit is to interact with the government to press human rights issues and learn about Pakistan’s plans to address them before the next GSP+monitoring mission, which is due in June 2025.

Olof Skoog urges Pakistan not to prove civilians in military courts, limit freedom of expression simply to protect people from criticism

The ideas of the envoy will be crucial to ensure continuous access to the generalized system of preferences (GSP+), given Pakistan’s dependence on the scheme, which provides preferential access to EU markets.

The EU has previously expressed concern about the sentence of the protesters who judged their role in the events of May 9, when disturbances exploded after the arrest of the founder of PTI Imran Khan.

In a statement issued after the announcement of sentences transmitted by the military courts, the EU said that “these verdicts are considered inconsistent with the obligations that Pakistan has undertaken under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).”

Talk with SunriseMr. Skoog reiterated the same concerns, saying: “We have expressed [our] Learn and concerns about the use of military courts against civilians. “

“I had that conversation and I will continue to have those conversations. Our opinion is that for civilians, there must be an applicable civil judicial system … We have raised our concerns when there is an expansive use of military courts in response to demonstrations, “he said, clarifying that this was his general position and that he Do not comment on individual cases.

Freedom of expression is another GSP+condition, he said, even when journalists and opposition parties protested for the approval of controversial amendments to the country’s cybercrime laws.

“This is happening while I visit the country … I’ve been arguing [this] With government officials. Our opinion is that there should be very limited restrictions on freedom of expression, ”said Skoog.

“You cannot restrict freedom of expression just to protect politicians, authorities or the system of being criticized, and these are the conversations we are having with Pakistan at this time about where to get the limits,” said the special envoy.

Skoog said that the next round of the GSP+ scheme depends on what Pakistan does in terms of complying with the various international obligations they have done, and added that “it cannot be taken for granted that [GSP+] It will be there for the next round. ”

Until now, the EU official has met with the deputy PM Ishaq Dar, the Coas Gen also Munir, CJP Yahya Afridi, Ministers of Law and Commerce, other officials, as well as civil society, the defenders of the media and Human Rights.

“I have and use my visit to transmit to the interested authorities that I have heard of civil society in Pakistan, and they are related to the problems we have discussed: freedom of expression, labor rights, death penalty and people who persist in jail without judgment and sentence. Those are part of the problems we raise with Pakistan, ”Skoog told Sunrise.

Posted in Dawn, January 30, 2025



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