Washington: The European Union (EU) is facing renewed criticism for continuing to grant Pakistan trade benefits despite persistent concerns over human rights violations, particularly against religious minorities. Critics argue that Pakistan has failed to make meaningful progress in meeting international human rights commitments since receiving the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) status in 2014.
Brussels-based rights group Human Rights Without Frontiers has described the arrangement as a “bad deal,” urging the EU to suspend GSP+ benefits until substantial human rights improvements are achieved. The scheme gives Pakistan duty-free or preferential access to the EU market on more than 66 percent of tariff lines, providing significant economic advantages.
Writing in PJ Media, Turkish journalist Uzay Bulut highlighted the continuing persecution of Pakistan’s Christian minority, which makes up less than two percent of the population. She noted that Christians frequently face mob violence, misuse of blasphemy laws, economic discrimination, abductions, forced conversions, and sexual abuse.
Bulut cited the case of 14-year-old Nisha Bibi, a Christian girl from Lahore who allegedly was abducted by a married Muslim man, forcibly converted to Islam, and married against her will. Her father, Abbas Masih, a daily wage labourer, said she disappeared while working as a domestic helper in a Muslim household.
According to rights advocates, Christian girls in Pakistan remain particularly vulnerable to abduction, forced conversion, and forced marriage. Critics argue that despite repeated warnings from human rights organisations, the EU has continued to provide Pakistan with trade privileges without securing significant reforms, raising concerns about the effectiveness of linking economic incentives to human rights obligations. (IANS)
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