EU concerned over crackdown on Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf

ISLAMABAD: Dr Riina Kionka, the EU Ambassador to Pakistan, voiced significant concern about the actions taken against the PTI and its supporters following the events of May 9.

She made this statement in a video addressing the extension of Pakistan’s GSP Plus status and outlined the current state of Pakistan’s GSP Plus status, explaining that the proposed extension would maintain the existing regulations, granting Pakistan the same trade preferences and access to the European market.

She emphasized that Pakistan continues to bear the same responsibilities as before in terms of implementing 27 international human rights conventions.

The EU will closely monitor progress and provide reports to the European Parliament.

Dr. Kionka underscored certain areas where the EU expects improvement from Pakistan, such as freedom of expression, freedom of the media, freedom of religion and belief, the situation of minorities, women’s rights and gender equality, labor rights, and the crackdown on the PTI.

Political circles took note of the ambassador’s statement, with Hammad Azhar, the PTI’s Punjab secretary-general and former minister, tweeting the video. He highlighted the importance of GSP Plus for Pakistan’s exports and the corresponding human rights and governance responsibilities.

Azhar mentioned that the EU ambassador had addressed issues such as freedom of the press, the crackdown on Tehreek-e-Insaf, and military courts.

Bilal Azhar Kayani, the PML-N’s coordinator to PM Shehbaz Sharif on economy and energy, swiftly responded to Azhar’s tweet, accusing him of conspiring against Pakistan’s GSP Plus status.

In his quote tweet, Kayani alleged a conspiracy similar to the one against the IMF program and accused the PTI of igniting violence during commemorative events for the nation’s martyrs.

He suggested that this animosity towards the GSP Plus status was another attempt to harbor hostility towards the country, but he remained confident that any such conspiracy would be unsuccessful.

Ambassador Dr. Kionka clarified in her statement that the proposed extension of the current regulation applies not only to Pakistan but also to all eight beneficiary countries of GSP Plus. She highlighted the importance of maintaining trade preferences to avoid negative consequences for Pakistani exporters, factory workers and their families, European businesses relying on Pakistani suppliers, and European consumers.

Regarding human rights monitoring, the ambassador mentioned the involvement of international NGOs examining the use of military courts and Anti-Terrorism Courts for the prosecution of those accused in the events of May 9.

She noted that Pakistan is a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which means the country has committed to providing fair and public trials in independent, impartial, and competent courts, along with ensuring adequate legal representation for every individual.