Trading troubles

Mianwali hanging has put under a cloud EU's trade concessions which were conditioned on foregoing the death penalty.

The hanging in Mianwali Jail of soldier Muhammad Hussain on November 15 has placed under shadow the coming into force of the European Union’s trade concessions, which would grant Pakistan access to the bloc of European markets — naturally bringing important benefits. The dialogue which had led up to this had continued for years and was tied in to improvements in human rights conditions made by Pakistan. One of these conditions was to end capital punishment. Pakistan ranks among the dwindling number of countries in the world which still awards the death penalty. However, as part of an unannounced policy, a moratorium on hangings has been in place for the last four years.

In terms of the EU trade deal, which was to come into effect on November 16, the concessions were initially to be granted on 75 items for a period of just over a year. The proposal that this trade relief offered to Pakistan came after the 2010 floods. But now, after Hussain’s unfortunately timed early morning walk to the gallows, the EU headquarters in Brussels has questioned Pakistan’s willingness to do away with the death penalty. Hussain was sentenced to death by a military court in 2009 for stabbing a senior officer in Okara over a personal matter. The EU response to his hanging shows just how intricately the world is linked today. The loss of the concessions would be a big blow, even if other trade agreements, due to come into effect in 2014, remain in place.

The matter reminds us of the need to re-examine capital punishment. The matter is a sensitive one, but it still needs to be debated at home not just because of external pressures but because in a land where social justice is lacking and fair play is often absent during police investigations, there must be questions asked about awarding the death penalty. We need to open up a discussion about all the factors involved, so that we can move forward with the world and not be left miles behind.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 21^st, 2012.