Dialogue with EU

The EU has recently called on India and Pakistan to approach the Kashmir dispute with "restraint" and to de-escalate tensions through "dialogue and constructive political and diplomatic engagement”. This came during the fifth round of EU-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue held on Tuesday via video conference. The EU’s assertion is clearly aimed at India which is the party that has continually refused offers of talks for the better part of a decade. The EU also says it is keeping a close eye on the human rights situation in the Indian-occupied state, where the Narendra Modi government is putting in every effort to change the demography and remind the Muslim-majority that they are second-class citizens in India.

Several other issues of common interest were also discussed during the dialogue, including the Afghan peace process, which continues hiccuping along. Most significant, however, were the discussions relating to mutual cooperation and the EU's appreciation of Pakistan's efforts to come into compliance with the FATF Action Plan. Economic cooperation, poverty alleviation, and debt relief also came under discussion. Trade was also brought up, including the GSP+ trade regime, which would be a boon to Pakistani exports to the EU. But the discussions were not all smooth sailing. GSP+ requires countries to implement 27 international conventions related to human rights, labour rights, protection of the environment, and good governance, some of which Pakistan is admittedly lagging on.

Key human rights issues for the EU remain Pakistan's use of the death penalty and the “misuse” of the blasphemy law. Both of these issues will be difficult to resolve. There was a moratorium on the death penalty during the PPP government, which became a significant factor in advancing talks on GSP+.
Unfortunately, the prodigious use of capital punishment since the moratorium was withdrawn has been severely detrimental in terms of meeting human rights requirements.