European Parliament calls for reassessment of EU-Pakistan trade regime over human rights failure
The European Parliament has called for an “immediate reassessment of the EU-Pakistan trade regime," with voices calling for a temporary withdrawal of the Generalised System of Preferences-Plus (GSP+) status, granted in January 2014 subject to Pakistan agreeing to implement 27 internationally recognised conventions.
The move may give a jolt to the PM Imran Khan-led government.
The European Parliament called for an “immediate reassessment of the EU-Pakistan trade regime," with voices calling for a temporary withdrawal of the Generalised System of Preferences-Plus (GSP+) status, granted in January 2014 subject to Pakistan agreeing to implement 27 internationally recognised conventions, reports EU Today.
The EU is now Pakistan's crucial trading partner.
However, the EU's 3rd Biennial Assessment of GSP, published in 2020, noted that Pakistan has failed to make meaningful advances in protecting human rights, particularly in relation to the country's controversial blasphemy laws.
Those accused of blasphemy are subject to immediate incarceration, and most accused are denied bail. Many, even when acquitted or released from jail, have been murdered, reports EU Today.
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