The upcoming review of Pakistan's GSP+ status by the European Union marks a stressful moment for the country, as the preferential tariff agreement that almost single-handedly led to the Union becoming our biggest trading partner may be under threat due to concerns over several domestic governance and human rights issues. What some thought would be a done deal is now worrying pessimistic analysts because of recent comments by the EU Ambassador to Pakistan that the country needs to "do more" to comply with GSP+ conditions.

The standard 'stay out of our internal issues' excuse used by countries with problematic human rights records — including every country in South Asia — does not apply here because GSP+ status is directly conditioned on trading partners complying with 27 international conv

See Full Page