Pakistan says not taking EU’s GSP+ status ‘for granted’ amid multiple human rights concerns 

Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar shakes hands with EU Special Representative for Human Rights Ambassador Olaf Skoog in Islamabad on January 28, 2025. (Photo courtesy: MOFA)
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Updated 30 January 2025
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Pakistan says not taking EU’s GSP+ status ‘for granted’ amid multiple human rights concerns 

  • The statement comes amid EU envoy’s visit to Pakistan, following bloc’s criticism of sentencing of civilians by Pakistani military courts
  • GSP+ status in the spotlight again this week as parliament passed controversial cybercrime law to regulate social media platforms 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Office said on Thursday Islamabad was not taking “for granted” the GSP+ status awarded by the European Union, saying there was a “robust” mechanism in place for the EU to supervise and coordinate implementation of Pakistan’s obligations under the special trade incentives arrangement. 
The statement by Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan came after a report published by Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper said EU Special Rep­resentative for Human Rights, Olof Skoog, who is on a visit to Pakistan, had warned Pakistan “not to take its GSP+ status for granted.”
The GSP+ scheme grants beneficiary countries’ exports duty-free access to the European market in exchange for voluntarily agreeing to implement 27 international core conventions, including on human and civil rights.
Multiple developments on the human rights front have raised concerns over Pakistan’s GSP+ status in recent weeks. The EU last month openly criticized Pakistan for sentencing over 80 civilians in army courts after charging them for anti-government riots in May 2023 in which military installations were attacked, saying it was “inconsistent” with Pakistan’s international obligations. 
This week, the country’s GSP+ status has once more been in the spotlight after parliament passed a controversial cybercrime law that journalists and digital rights activists have widely said aims to crackdown against dissent on social media platforms. 
“In interstate relations, no one takes any state or any party for granted … EU remains a very important partner for Pakistan … It’s a rich and very comprehensive partnership ... and GSP+ is one component of this very rich relationship,” the foreign office spokesperson said at a weekly press briefing in Islamabad when asked about Skoog’s comments. 
He said there was a “robust” implementation process to supervise and coordinate Pakistan’s, “follow-up or implementation of the range of treaties.”
“What we have put across [to the EU] is our perspective on whatever things are happening on our legislative front, for example, on PECA [Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act] or on the [military] trials … but this is an ongoing process. There is no one sitting in judgment on what’s happening in Pakistan. It’s a collaborative dialogue between two partners and friends.”
Talking to Dawn, Skoog said he had expressed the EU’s “apprehensions and concerns” about the use of military courts against civilians.
“I had that conversation and will continue having those conversations. Our view is that for civilians, there should be a civilian court system applicable… We have raised our concerns when there is an expansive use of military courts in response to demonstrations,” he said.
Skoog also spoke about this week’s passage of controversial amendments to the country’s cybercrime laws.
“This is happening while I am visiting the country… I have been discussing [this] with government officials. Our view is there should be very limited restrictions on freedom of expression,” the special envoy said. 
“You can’t restrict freedom of expression just to protect the politicians, authorities or the system from being criticized, and these are the conversations we are having with Pakistan right now about where to draw the limits.”
The next round of the GSP+ scheme hinges upon what Pakistan does in terms of complying with its various international obligations, Skoog said, adding that it “cannot be taken for granted that [GSP+] will be there for the next round.”
In October 2023, the EU unanimously voted to extend GSP+ status until 2027 for developing countries, including Pakistan.


Pakistan face India in Champions Trophy clash with no room for error

Updated 6 sec ago
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Pakistan face India in Champions Trophy clash with no room for error

  • The neighbors only meet in multi-nation events because of political tensions and the match is taking place in Dubai after India refused to travel to Pakistan
  • Pakistan were well beaten by New Zealand by 60 runs in the opening game of the competition in Karachi and need to beat favorites India to stay in the hunt

DUBAI: Pakistan face arch-rivals India in a Champions Trophy blockbuster on Sunday in front of a sell-out Dubai crowd knowing that another defeat will virtually end their title defense.
The neighbors only meet in multi-nation events because of political tensions and the match is taking place in Dubai after India refused to travel to tournament hosts Pakistan.
In front of what is expected to be a full house at the 25,000-capacity Dubai International Stadium, and with hundreds of millions more watching glued to their televisions, Pakistan are under pressure.
Mohammad Rizwan’s side were well beaten by New Zealand by 60 runs in the opening game of the ODI competition in Karachi and realistically need to beat favorites India to stay in the hunt for a semifinal spot in the eight-nation tournament.
New Zealand top Group A ahead of India — who beat Bangladesh on Thursday by six wickets — on a better run-rate. Pakistan are fourth and bottom of the group.
The top two teams from each of the two groups make the semifinals.
“If we want to win against the great teams of the world and be one of the great teams of the world we will have to bring consistency,” Pakistan batsman Salman Ali Agha said.
“We can’t play well in one game and bad in another.”
Pakistan chased down a record 353 against South Africa last week in a tri-nation tournament at home but in the final crashed to 242 all out in a defeat to New Zealand.
They suffered a big blow in the loss on Wednesday when their premier batsman Fakhar Zaman suffered a muscle injury. He has been ruled out of the tournament.
Imam-ul-Haq came in as replacement for a team that hammered India in the final of the previous Champions Trophy, in 2017.
That was India’s last defeat to Pakistan in an ODI match and Rohit Sharma’s men have since won five of the last six games against their greatest rivals, with one rained off.
They last met in a one-day game at the 2023 World Cup in Ahmedabad, with hosts India winning by seven wickets.
Another loss and an early exit for the hosts would take the gloss off the tournament, Pakistan’s first ICC event since co-hosting the 1996 World Cup with India and Sri Lanka.
In contrast, India lived up to their favorites tag against Bangladesh, chasing down a tricky 229 with 21 balls to spare in Dubai.
In-form Shubman Gill hit an unbeaten 101 for his second successive ODI century after pace spearhead Mohammed Shami returned bowling figures of 5-53.
Victory for India would put them on the cusp of the last four.
“After winning there is no point in having a mindset,” a confident-looking Shami said in response to a question on facing Pakistan next.
“You should stay in the same frame (habit) when you win a match and when you perform well. I don’t think you need to think too much about the ICC tournament or any international match.”
Fellow pace bowler Harshit Rana claimed three wickets in his team’s win and exuded the same confidence.
“It’s great to perform ahead of the Pakistan match and hopefully I can take this momentum forward,” said Rana. “But the Pakistan match is just another game for us.”
Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan have fought three wars since being carved out of the subcontinent’s partition in 1947 and that rivalry is often reflected on the cricket field.
Deteriorating political ties have meant the bitter rivals have not played a bilateral cricket series for over a decade.
India last visited Pakistan in 2008, for the Asia Cup.


Two cops, four militants killed in attack on police check-post in Pakistan’s southwest

Updated 33 min 38 sec ago
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Two cops, four militants killed in attack on police check-post in Pakistan’s southwest

  • The attack comes two days after gunmen offloaded seven passengers from a Punjab-bound bus and killed them in Balochistan’s Barkhan
  • Pakistan has been struggling to contain mounting attacks by separatists in Balochistan, which has been the site of an insurgency for decades

QUETTA: Two policemen and four militants were killed in an attack on a police check-post in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, police officials said Friday.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province in terms of landmass, has been the site of an insurgency for the last two decades, with separatists frequently attacking police, security forces and civilians they see as “outsiders” in the resource-rich region.
In the latest incident, armed men attacked a police check-post in Shaban area, some 35 kilometers away from the provincial capital of Quetta, local police station in-charge Munir Khan told Arab News.
“Terrorists attacked a police post in Shaban, killing two policemen and injuring two others. The police force timely retaliated and killed four terrorists,” he said.
“Search and clearance operation continued till early hours of Friday as some terrorists fled to the nearby mountains.”
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion was likely to fall on armed separatist groups who have carried out a number of attacks in a similar fashion in the past.
It comes two days after the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) group killed seven passengers, who hailed from the Punjab province, after off-loading them from a bus in Balochistan’s Barkhan district, according to authorities.
Pakistan has been struggling to contain mounting attacks by separatists in Balochistan, which shares a porous border with Iran and Afghanistan.
At least, 25 policemen were killed and 61 others injured in Balochistan in nearly 40 attacks against police in 2024, according to provincial government figures. This is apart from losses incurred by security forces and civilians killed in targeted killings.
The separatists accuse the Pakistani government of exploiting the province’s natural resources for development elsewhere in the country, while neglecting the local population. The government denies the allegations and says it has prioritized Balochistan’s development through investments in health, education and infrastructure projects.
Separately, a man, who was allegedly carrying explosives, was killed in an explosion on Quetta’s Qambrani Road on Thursday night, according to police.
“It has been unclear whether he was a suicide bomber or delivering the explosives,” Qasim Rodeni, a police officer in Quetta, told Arab News.
“The man was carrying around 4-5 kilograms of explosive material which exploded on the road. We are investigating the incident.”
More than 50 people, including security forces, were killed in August last year in a string of assaults in Balochistan that were claimed by the BLA. Last month, dozens of fighters of the separatist outfit wrested control of a small town in Khuzdar from the Levies paramilitary forces. Pakistani authorities had regained the town after hours of efforts. 


Pakistan approves tax exemptions for ICC in Champions Trophy tournament

Updated 21 February 2025
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Pakistan approves tax exemptions for ICC in Champions Trophy tournament

  • Government says the exemption for the ICC is not expected to result in revenue loss
  • Pakistan’s cricket board, residents will be taxed on earnings during the tournament

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) has approved tax exemptions for the International Cricket Council (ICC) in connection with the ongoing 2025 Champions Trophy tournament, the government announced on Thursday.
The South Asian nation is hosting the tournament, a major ICC event in Pakistan in nearly three decades, from Feb. 18 to March 9, with India’s matches scheduled to be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Cricket teams had abandoned Pakistan after an attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team outside Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Mar. 3, 2009, forcing the cricket-mad South Asian nation into wilderness for several years.
On Thursday, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb presided over the ECC meeting to discuss key economic matters, including tax exemptions for the ICC, in line with international best practices.
“Under the standardized hosting rights agreement between ICC and Pakistan, no taxes or deductions will be applied to ICC revenues, its subsidiaries, associates, officials and non-resident delegates,” the Press Information Department (PID) of the Pakistani information ministry said.
“The tax exemption is not expected to result in a revenue loss as it was a prerequisite for securing the tournament’s hosting rights.”
The PID clarified that Pakistani nationals as well as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) would be taxed on tournament earnings.
Pakistan entered the eight-team ICC tournament as the defending champions, having beaten India in the final of the 2017 edition. The participating teams have been divided into two groups with hosts Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and New Zealand pooled in Group A, while Group B comprises Afghanistan, Australia, England and South Africa.
Pakistan suffered a 60-run defeat to New Zealand in their opening match of the tournament in Karachi. The team will be looking to make a comeback in their next match against arch-rivals India in Dubai on Feb. 23.


Pakistan, EU officials discuss Middle East, Afghanistan situation among global security challenges

Updated 21 February 2025
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Pakistan, EU officials discuss Middle East, Afghanistan situation among global security challenges

  • The talks were part of 2019 Strategic Engagement Plan between the EU and Pakistan, which seeks to enhance mutual engagement on security matters
  • Both sides exchanged views on countering of ‘violent extremism, recruitment and movement of foreign fighters, offline and online radicalization’

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the European Union (EU) officials held their 9th Counter-Terrorism Dialogue in Brussels and discussed regional and global challenges, including the situation in the Middle East and Afghanistan, the Pakistani foreign office said on Thursday.
The dialogue is part of the broader 2019 Strategic Engagement Plan between the EU and Pakistan, which seeks to enhance mutual engagement on security matters and regional cooperation. It reflects a shared determination to address the evolving challenges posed by militancy.
The development comes amid a turmoil in the Middle East resulting from Israeli military actions against several regional countries, including the war on Gaza, as well as fears among some nations, including Pakistan, about the resurgence of militant groups in Afghanistan.
Pakistan has repeatedly called on Israel and world powers for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon and Syria. Islamabad has also accused Afghanistan of supporting militant groups amid a recent surge in militancy in Pakistan’s western regions, an allegation denied by Kabul.
“The European Union and Pakistan condemned terrorism in all its forms and confirmed their steadfast commitment to fight it. The Dialogue allowed for an exchange on regional and global challenges, including the security implications of the situation in Afghanistan and in other areas, like the Middle East,” the Pakistani foreign office said in a statement.
“Both parties confirmed the importance of a strong cooperation with international partners in multilateral fora. This includes the work in the United Nations’ framework and in the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum, which the EU has been co-chairing since 2022.”
Abdul Hameed, director-general for counter-terrorism at the Pakistani foreign ministry, led the Pakistan side, while the EU delegation was headed by Maciej Stadejek, director for security and defense policy at the European External Action Service.
“The European Union and Pakistan also discussed areas for exchange of best practices and for concrete cooperation, with a focus on common actions on prevention and countering of violent extremism, recruitment and movement of foreign fighters, offline and online radicalization, combating terrorism financing and more topics that are relevant to address the growing challenges posed by terrorism,” the foreign office added.


IMF mission to visit Pakistan by mid-March to review $7 billion loan program, official says

Updated 21 February 2025
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IMF mission to visit Pakistan by mid-March to review $7 billion loan program, official says

  • A successful review would see the Washington-based lender release around $1 billion tranche to cash-strapped South Asian country
  • Islamabad has also requested IMF for additional $1.5 billion Resilience and Sustainability Facility to deal with climate-related issues

KARACHI: A team of experts from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will be visiting Pakistan in mid-March for the first review of the South Asian country’s $7 billion loan program, an IMF official said on Friday.
A successful review would see the Washington-based lender release around $1 billion tranche to cash-strapped Pakistan, which seeks to boost its foreign exchange reserves to achieve the IMF’s threshold of three-month import cover.
IMF bailouts are critical for Pakistan which narrowly avoided a sovereign default in June 2023 by clinching a last-gasp, $3 billion IMF loan and is currently navigating a tricky path to economic recovery.
“An IMF staff team is scheduled to visit Pakistan in early to mid-March for discussions around the first review under Pakistan’s Extended Fund Facility-supported program,” Mahir Binici, the IMF resident representative in Pakistan, told Arab News in response to a query.
Pakistan, which averted a default in 2023, is currently navigating a path to economic recovery under the $7 billion bailout. The review is expected to revolve around the country’s compliance with its taxation targets and overall structural reforms.
The South Asian country has undertaken several reforms in taxation, energy and others sectors as well as with regard to better management of loss-making state-owned enterprises (SOEs), while provincial governments in Pakistan’s Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan have recently enacted laws to impose taxes on farm incomes in line with the lender’s requirements.
Pakistan’s finance adviser Khurram Schehzad told Arab News in a recent interview that the country was “fully prepared to go into the review process,” adding that the IMF was on board “on the targets and benchmarks that we have achieved as well as only a few we are chasing.”
The South Asian country also seeks to secure an additional $1.5 billion loan from the IMF to deal with climate-related issues under a Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) arrangement.
“In this regard, a technical team will be in Pakistan starting in late February to discuss technical issues related to a possible RSF arrangement,” Binici said.
The Global Climate Risk Index places Pakistan among the countries most vulnerable to climate change.
Floods in 2022, which scientists said were aggravated by global warming, affected at least 33 million people and killed more than 1,700. The country’s economic struggles and high debt burden impinged its ability to respond to the disaster.