ISLAMABAD: European Union’s Special Representative for Human Rights (EUSR), Ambassador Olof Skoog, arrived in Pakistan for a week-long visit, during which he engaged with multiple government officials and discussed key human rights issues including labor rights, minority rights, and accountability for violations. The envoy also addressed Pakistan’s ongoing efforts to tackle these issues, particularly in light of the country’s GSP+ trade scheme evaluation.
The Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) is an EU initiative that provides special trade incentives to developing countries to foster sustainable development and promote good governance. Pakistan is the largest beneficiary of this scheme, with its exports to the EU increasing by 108% since the scheme’s launch in 2014.
During his visit, Ambassador Skoog met with federal and provincial ministers, military leadership, and representatives from multinational organizations such as the United Nations. He also interacted with civil society members, including human rights lawyers, media representatives, and business sector officials.
In his meeting with the Minister for Information, Attaullah Tarar, Ambassador Skoog reaffirmed Pakistan’s importance as a key partner for the EU in South Asia. He emphasized that their partnership is built on shared values of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, with a commitment to the UN Charter and international norms. He encouraged Pakistan to continue its reforms and prepare for reapplication under the upcoming GSP+ regulations, noting that the trade benefits are contingent on addressing issues like human rights and implementing tangible reforms.
The ambassador also met with key political figures, including Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, and Federal Minister of Law, Justice, and Human Rights Azam Nazeer Tarar. During these meetings, discussions centered around critical issues such as blasphemy laws, women’s rights, forced marriages and conversions, enforced disappearances, freedom of expression, religious freedoms, media independence, impunity for rights violations, due process, and the death penalty.
In his meeting with Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Yahya Afridi, the ambassador addressed concerns about judicial backlog and the independence of the judiciary.
As Pakistan prepares for the GSP+ monitoring mission, Ambassador Skoog urged Pakistani authorities to ensure the full implementation of international conventions related to human rights and reforms.
Tags:
