New Delhi, Dec 3 (IANS) Pakistan has been one of the largest beneficiaries of the Generalised System of Preferences Plus (GSP+) status granted to its exports by the European Union. However, the Islamic nation’s poor track record on human rights constitutes a major violation of the eligibility conditions for this status.
The GSP+ is a trade mechanism through which the EU offers developing countries preferential access to its markets. It serves as a special incentive arrangement promoting sustainable development and good governance, aimed at supporting vulnerable developing nations such as Pakistan.
The generous EU tariff reductions have led to a massive boost in Pakistan’s trade. Islamabad’s exports to the EU have increased by more than 47.25 per cent since the inception of the GSP+ status. More significantly, its textile exports have been the major beneficiary, with a rise of 66.6 per cent since 2013. Among EU nations, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, Poland, and Portugal have emerged as leading export destinations for Pakistan, according to an article in the European Times.
However, an important tenet of GSP regulation is that the beneficiary countries have to ratify and effectively implement 27 international conventions on human rights, labour, environmental protection, and good governance to receive preferential trade benefits.
Pakistan has, by default, ratified all 27 core international conventions, but in practice, the picture is quite the opposite. Antithetical to the covenants ratified, the truth is that Pakistan is a model case of widespread and systematic violations of human rights: a state highly tolerant of its human rights excesses. Thus, considering the abysmal track record of the last decade, one finds little courage to extend support for the continuation of the GSP+ status for Pakistan, the article points out.
From gender and ethnic discrimination to the use of military courts for civilians, Pakistan’s image is marred by a multitude of incidents of human rights violations. The 2018-19 assessment by the EU reported no progress on the legislation on labour rights, along with a lack of safer spaces for civil society, voices of dissent, and the safety of journalists. Moreover, the sectarian conflicts, including violence against Shia community in 2020, 2023 and 2024; and systematic persecution of religious minorities through discriminatory laws, targeted violence, forced conversions, mob attacks, and the weaponisation of digital platforms of Pakistan’s Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Shia, Ahmadi, Kalash, and other minority communities have already kept the UNHCR on their toes, the article states.
According to a report by the Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH), the cases of violence against religious minorities have increased as recently as between 2024 and the first half of 2025. As of July 2025, UNHCR experts expressed their concern about increasing violence against vulnerable communities, where these communities “have witnessed relentless attacks, killings, and unending harassment for months in the context of hostility and advocacy of hatred against them”. UNHCR also observed that the attacks are taking place with tacit official complicity and warned the state to break the pattern of impunity that allows perpetrators to act without restraint or fear of consequences.
The socio-economic development front of Pakistan is also in doldrums, indicating the system’s apathy and lack of will to improve citizens’ welfare while breaking the covenants of good governance and labour rights. On the citizen’s welfare front, the updated estimates from the World Bank reveal that poverty headcount in Pakistan has increased to 44.7 per cent, implying that almost half of its population is living below the poverty line, subjected to abject poverty conditions.
While budgetary allocations for education and healthcare have hit record lows, Pakistan has increased its defence budget between 2016-17 and 2025-26 by more than 200 times, with a current allocation of a massive 2.55 trillion rupees (or $9 billion). And these numbers don’t include the massive burden of military pensions that burden the government budget allocations.
The textile sector, which is championing under the GSP+ regime, is also championing in the field of labour rights violations. There are frequent violations of wage regulations, and a major fraction of the textile workers possess no written contracts.
The EU has already expressed its concern over blasphemy laws, enforced disappearances, freedom of expression, media independence, impunity for rights violations, due process, fair trials, civic space, and the death penalty situation, which need to be addressed to continue the trade privileges.
The article raises the question of whether, in the wake of the violation of conventions in every dimension, whether it is human rights, good governance or labour rights, it is justified for the EU to renew Pakistan’s GSP+ status?
–IANS
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