EU concerned over sentencing of 25 civilians by military court

ISLAMABAD: The European Union (EU) has expressed serious concerns over the sentencing of 25 civilians by a military court on 21 December.

A statement issued by the EU says these verdicts are seen as inconsistent with the obligations that Pakistan has undertaken under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

In line with Article 14 of ICCPR, every person is entitled to a fair and public trial in a court that is independent, impartial and competent, and has the right to adequate and effective legal representation. It also stipulates that any judgment rendered in a criminal case shall be made public.

Under the EU’s GSP+, the beneficiary countries, including Pakistan, have voluntarily agreed to effectively implement 27 international core conventions -- including the ICCPR -- in order to continue benefitting from the GSP+ status. Sources said Pakistan had ratified different conventions to comply with for continuation of GSP Plus till 2027 under the transitionary arrangement. Now the EU Parliament is in place and a monitoring mission will be visiting Pakistan during 2025 for holding monitoring to review progress on implementation of ratified conventions agreed by Pakistan.

The EU Parliament is likely to kick-start the legislation process in the next fiscal year 2025-26, so Pakistan will have to undertake a hectic lobbying for securing the next GSP Plus status. This kind of concern expressed by the EU publicly will make it hard for the policymakers to win sympathy for Islamabad to secure the GSP plus status beyond 2027.

Pakistan got $9 to $10 billion exports into the EU markets with the help of GSP plus status, but ironically it remained unable to diversify its exports which remain restricted to only low-end textile products.