Human rights violation: Soldier’s hanging jeopardises EU trade concessions

Concessions require Pakistan to curtail the death penalty.


Shahbaz Rana November 18, 2012

ISLAMABAD:


The execution of soldier Muhammad Hussain has risked Pakistan’s hard-earned trading leverages with the European Union (EU) by breaking the four-year moratorium on death penalty which served as a condition for duty-free access to EU markets.


As a fatal coincidence, the penalty overlapped the coming into force of EU’s trade concessions which, after years of tedious dialogue, became operational on November 16.  Facilitated trade required Pakistan to meet some human rights benchmarks, including the curtailment of the death penalty.

It is hence feared that Hus­sain’s hanging in a Mianwali jail on November 15 may provide grounds to jeopardise Pakistan’s trade prospects with the bloc of 27 nations.

Hussain, 45, stabbed a superior in Okara over a personal dispute in 2008. He was tried in the military court in Okara cantonment, which sentenced him to death on February 12, 2009. Hussain’s mercy petitions to the General Headquarters (GHQ) and the Chief of Army Staff were rejected. Senator Farhatullah Babar, the presidential spokesman, revealed that Hussain’s mercy petition to the president was also turned down.

Retaliation

The break in the de facto moratorium undercuts recent announcement by the government of introducing legislation to abolish death penalty, said EU High Representative Catherine Ashton in a statement.

Following the execution, EU headquarters in Brussels posed questions to the country’s mission, sought all relevant information, and said that EU trade agreements were tied to human rights bars whose violation increases chances of cancellation, said diplomatic sources.

The EU is not willing to take the execution of the army soldier as an exception – an execution is an execution, whether ordered by a military court or a civilian court, said embassy officials. Chief of Army Staff General Kayani could have intervened to pardon the soldier, they said, adding that all available options were not utilised to exonerate Husain.

Scope

The Nov 16 concessions were on 75 trade items for a period of roughly 14 months. The proposal for concessions was put forth after the 2010 floods to abet Pakistan’s economic recovery. It came into force after 26 months.

It was agreed that quarterly reviews would decide the continuity of concessions.

Lingering hope

According to EU embassy officials, the recently proposed Generalised Scheme of Preferences, which will come into force from 2014, and promises duty free access of unlimited goods, is not attached to abolition of the death penalty.

Officials added the worst scenario for Pak-EU trade relations would be a series of executions, with the recent one serving as a precedent.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 19th, 2012.

 

COMMENTS (20)

Pak Dost | 11 years ago | Reply

This is crap, EU does trade with Israel. One should ask aren't they in any violation of human rights.

Arindom | 11 years ago | Reply

@Linchpin: What you call "double standard" is a reality of life. The world is fuindamentally unfair. Live with it. Your only othe option is to be what relatively poorer countries are doing - India, Indonesia, Malaysia, even China : Concentrate on domestic development, build a prosperous middle class, focus on trade and development. The rich countries will come , hat-in-hand , stand in queue to do business with you! Forget about exporting revolutions and don't insert religion in development and progress! Soon EU will make a queue in Islamabad - just as they are doing today in Delhi, begging to be allowed to be let into India to start business......

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