EU Lawmakers Push to Suspend Pakistan’s GSP+ Over Religious Extremism, Human Rights Violations

EU Lawmakers Push to Suspend Pakistan’s GSP+ Over Religious Extremism, Human Rights Violations At a side event during the 60th UN Human Rights Council session, European lawmakers and rights experts demanded the temporary suspension of Pakistan’s GSP+ trade benefits over repeated human rights violations. The session, titled "Human Rights in Pakistan. Europe’s Dilemma: Pakistan, GSP+ & Human Rights", featured a documentary and strong statements from EU Parliamentarian Barbara Bonte. She criticised the EU for indirectly funding radical religious education through economic aid, citing the alarming growth of over 30,000 extremist-linked madrasas in Pakistan. Bonte noted that Pakistan continues to receive GSP+ benefits despite failing to meet key conditions like respecting human rights and reli