Pakistan has expressed disappointment over the European Union’s (EU) latest assessment of its compliance under the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+), saying the report does not fully reflect the country’s reform efforts and presents an unbalanced picture of its progress.
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Addressing a weekly press briefing in Islamabad, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi acknowledged that the European Commission’s report recognised Pakistan’s legislative progress and continued compliance with the 27 international conventions linked to the GSP+ framework.
However, he said the overall assessment understated the extensive reforms undertaken since Pakistan joined the preferential trade scheme in 2014 and placed disproportionate emphasis on areas where progress remained slower than expected.
Andrabi reaffirmed that GSP+ remains a cornerstone of Pakistan’s economic relationship with the European Union, supporting exports, employment, women’s economic participation, poverty reduction and broader economic development. He described the arrangement as mutually beneficial and said Pakistan would continue engaging constructively with the European Commission and other EU institutions while remaining committed to implementing the international conventions underpinning the programme.
Beyond trade, the spokesperson noted that Pakistan and the EU cooperate in several areas, including development, migration, counterterrorism, regional stability, climate resilience and connectivity.
During the briefing, Andrabi also rejected an Amnesty International report alleging that Pakistani airstrikes in Kabul in March targeted a rehabilitation facility and caused civilian casualties. He described the allegations as unsupported by credible evidence and maintained that Pakistan’s military actions were conducted solely in self-defence, targeting terrorist infrastructure while adhering to the principles of distinction, precaution and proportionality under international law.
He urged the international community to focus on the presence of militant groups operating from Afghan territory and called on the Taliban administration to fulfil its obligations under United Nations Security Council resolutions and the Doha Agreement by preventing Afghan soil from being used for cross-border terrorism.
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Separately, Andrabi confirmed that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is leading Pakistan’s delegation to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Kyrgyzstan.