Pakistan's GSP+ trade status under scrutiny over human rights, panel told
The chairman of the National Assembly finance committee warned that Pakistan's preferential trade access to the EU could face uncertainty over human rights concerns. The government said there is no immediate threat to its GSP+ status.
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- Committee chairman Syed Naveed Qamar warned of negative signals from the EU on human rights.
- The government says GSP+ status faces no immediate threat and runs until December 2028.
- Pakistan exported goods worth 7.5 billion euros to the EU under preferential tariffs in 2024.
The National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance was told on Tuesday that Pakistan's preferential trade access to the European Union could face uncertainty because of concerns over the country's human rights situation. Committee chairman Syed Naveed Qamar raised the warning but did not identify the specific concerns behind it.
Qamar said: "We are getting signals that the GSP+ status is in the doldrums because of human rights issues," according to Minute Mirror. The government maintained that Pakistan faces no immediate threat to its GSP+ status.
Officials said the current GSP+ arrangement remains in place until December 2028. Bilal Kayani told the committee that the scheme will continue until then. A body led by the deputy prime minister is preparing Pakistan's application for the next scheme, expected to begin in January 2029. Minute Mirror reported that the revised GSP framework is scheduled to take effect in 2027.
Pakistan remains the largest beneficiary of the EU's GSP+ arrangement. In 2024 it exported goods worth 7.5 billion euros to EU member states under preferential tariffs.
The EU's fifth monitoring report assessed the implementation of 27 international conventions in beneficiary countries. It urged Pakistan to act on worsening trends in enforced disappearances and restrictions on freedom of expression, and called for amending or repealing laws on blasphemy, cybercrime including PECA, defamation, counterterrorism and sedition.
The EU also named accountability for rights violations, stronger action against torture, prison reforms and improvements in death penalty cases as priorities for Pakistan. Express News reported that the report raised concerns about basic freedoms and the weakness of the judicial system, and that Pakistan faced difficulties implementing its obligations between 2023 and 2025.
Dr Nafisa Shah of the PPP raised the effect of border closures with Iran and Afghanistan on exports to Central Asian states. Kayani said cross-border trade with Afghanistan has been affected, but that the borders were closed for national security reasons.
The committee also expressed frustration over the failure of a trader registration scheme. The government announced enforcement action against traders who did not join it, except 222 participants, subject to approval from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Why it matters
Pakistan's exports to the EU, worth about 7.5 billion euros in 2024, rely on preferential tariffs, so any change to GSP+ status would affect exporters and the businesses tied to them.
