Misplaced priorities: Provinces put Pakistan’s GSP plus status in jeopardy

Federal govt needs human rights record to maintain facility


Azam Khan May 26, 2015
Federal govt needs human rights record to maintain facility. PHOTO: FILE

ISLAMABAD:


Lethargy on the part of the provincial governments is putting Pakistani exporters’ access to European markets in jeopardy.


The 10-year tariff-free access to markets in the European Union, which was granted to Pakistan after it met certain human rights conditions, may be under threat because of a case of foot-dragging on the part of provincial governments. As part of the GSP Plus status granted to Pakistan, Islamabad is supposed to provide reports on a periodic basis to Brussels, outlining its continued commitment to human rights, based on its treaty obligations to the 27 conventions of the United Nations.

However, in order to submit its first report – due in January 2016 – it needs the provinces to collect and submit data, which most of them have yet to do, revealed Muhammad Hassan Mangi, a senior Law Ministry official at a meeting of the Senate Committee on Law, Justice and Human Rights.

Pakistan’s tariff-free access to EU markets is dependent on the government’s progress in implementing UN conventions that deal in human rights, labour, gender, child protection, etc. Without a report outlining the government’s actions on these matters, Pakistan’s preferential access to those markets may be cut off.

Mangi said that besides the implementation process on the agreed conventions, European Union (EU) shown concern over Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, the decision to uplift the moratorium on death penalties, threats to journalists, forceful conversion of non-Muslims, particularly in Sindh province, minorities’ protection, and human rights abuses faced by women and children.

The EU considers Pakistani laws on blasphemy to be discriminatory towards religious minorities, particularly the Christian community. “But, during our correspondence, we have conveyed to the EU that Muslims are the main victims of the misuse of these laws and we will also send them detailed report on this soon. It is also part of our written reply that we respect all the prophets. Currently, we are also deliberating over a legislative draft to stop the misuse of blasphemy laws,” said Mangi. He said that strict legislation is under consideration to improve the miserably low conviction in such cases.

Mangi also said that Pakistan has told the EU that the government cannot change the laws on death penalties but instead would try to ensure a fair and transparent trial. To that end, the government is seeking to reform the criminal justice system according to the recommendations of the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan comprising the Chief Justice of Pakistan and the chief justices of all high courts.

Replying to question by Senator Saeed Ghani of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), government officials said that the Law Ministry was supposed to prepare seven reports to retain Pakistan’s GSP Plus status and to submit them to the Foreign Office but the main challenge was the lack of data from the provinces. “Without provincial cooperation, we are unable to make our reports as per the requirement,” the official said.

A proposal has been sent to the prime minister for the establishment of a ‘Treaty Implementation Cell’ in the provinces because almost all the conventions of the treaty are under the exclusive jurisdiction of provinces, the official said, adding that Ashrat Ausaf, former Punjab Advocate General, has been appointed as head of the Treaty Implementation Cell at federal Law Ministry. Khawaja Zaheer Ahmad, a former bureaucrat and Special Assistant to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, was the head of the cell earlier. So far, only six meetings held to oversee the implementation process.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 26th, 2015. 

COMMENTS (1)

Jamil | 8 years ago | Reply If the provinces can't provide the data Islamabad can simply make up some data and send it to the EU. We don't have to start telling the truth all of a sudden. It's just not how things are done in Pakistan and the EU should know better than to expect truthfullness from Pakistan. It is entirely their fault!
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