At the same time, the FO spokesman affirmed that GSP+ remained “central to Pakistan’s economic relationship with the EU, supporting exports, employment, women’s economic participation, poverty reduction and broader economic development”.
Ansar M Bhatti
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday expressed “disappointment” with the European Union’s (EU) recent report that pointed out issues in Pakistan’s compliance with its commitments under the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+).
The report was issued last week as part of the European Commission’s global assessment of the GSP during the 2023-2025 period. It said Pakistan had “regressed in a number of areas while positive change was limited”.
Responding to a query during a weekly press briefing on Thursday, Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Tahir Andrabi appreciated the report’s “acknowledgement of Pakistan’s legislative progress” and its continued compliance with 27 international conventions under the GSP+.
“Nevertheless, I would be remiss if I do not express disappointment with the assessment, with the report’s overall narrative which does not present sufficiently balanced pictures of Pakistan’s performance,” Andrabi added.
He said the EU report “understates the breadth of reforms undertaken since Pakistan joined GSP+ in 2014” and “places disproportionate emphasis on the lower-than-desired progress in a few areas”.
At the same time, the FO spokesman affirmed that GSP+ remained “central to Pakistan’s economic relationship with the EU, supporting exports, employment, women’s economic participation, poverty reduction and broader economic development”.
He observed that GSP+ was a “mutually beneficial arrangement in that aspect”.
“We will remain constructively engaged with the European Commission and other EU institutions and remain committed to the effective implementation of international conventions underpinning the GSP framework,” Andrabi affirmed.
He highlighted that beyond GSP+, Pakistan’s EU cooperation extended to development, migration, counterterrorism, regional stability, climate resilience, connectivity and many other areas.
FO ‘completely rejects’ Amnesty report on Kabul strikes
The FO spokesperson also “completely” rejected an Amnesty International report released on July 21 that claimed that Pakistan targeted a rehab facility in Kabul on March 16, which purportedly resulted in a large number of civilian casualties.
The FO spokesperson asserted: “Any military strikes by Pakistan were undertaken in exercise of its right to self-defence under principles of necessity and as a measure of last resort and directed only and exclusively against terrorists and their logistical support bases in Afghanistan.”
He maintained that Pakistan’s “response was proportionate to the level of threat while strictly adhering to the principle of distinction, precaution and proportionality”.
“The scale and scope of this action reflected restraint, particularly in light of the severity and frequency of terrorist attacks faced by Pakistan. Pakistan rejects any insinuation in this regard otherwise.”
Both the government and the military had asserted that Pakistani forces had targeted an ammunition and drone storage site in the airstrikes conducted on the night of March 16.
