Pakistan GSP+ review findings have raised concerns over the country’s human rights record despite acknowledging a series of recent legislative and institutional reforms, as Islamabad prepares to seek continued preferential access to the European Union market under revised rules.
An assessment by the European Commission and the European Union’s foreign policy service concluded that Pakistan faced compliance difficulties during the 2023 to 2025 monitoring period. It said the country had regressed in several areas, while positive change remained limited.
The assessment focused on Pakistan’s implementation of 27 international conventions linked to the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus, commonly known as GSP+. The conventions cover human rights, labour standards, environmental protection, climate policy and good governance.
Pakistan has benefited from GSP+ since 2014 and remains the largest beneficiary of the arrangement. It exported approximately €7.5 billion worth of GSP+-eligible goods to the European Union in 2024 and received an estimated €732 million in tariff exemptions.
The findings are significant because Pakistan will need to apply under a revised GSP+ framework that is scheduled to take effect on 1 January 2027. The updated system introduces stronger monitoring requirements and expands the number of relevant international conventions.
Pakistan GSP+ review acknowledges legal reforms
The Pakistan GSP+ review recognised a number of legal and institutional developments during the latest monitoring period.
Among the positive measures identified was the passage of domestic violence legislation for the Islamabad Capital Territory. The assessment also noted the introduction of implementation rules under Pakistan’s anti-torture legislation.
The European Union further acknowledged legislation establishing a National Commission for Minorities, which is intended to strengthen the institutional protection of religious minority communities.
Other positive developments included Pakistan’s first reported conviction for marital rape, the adoption of a national strategy addressing technology-facilitated gender-based violence and the ratification of an International Labour Organization protocol concerning forced labour.
The assessment also noted reforms that narrowed the application of the death penalty. Pakistan has one of the world’s largest death-row populations, and its use of capital punishment has remained an important issue in discussions with European officials.
These measures indicate that Pakistan has continued to adopt laws intended to bring parts of its domestic framework closer to international commitments. However, the assessment concluded that legislative changes had not yet produced sufficiently broad or consistent improvements in practice.
The report said major concerns continued to affect the rule of law and the space available to civil society organisations, journalists, political activists and human rights campaigners.
Enforced disappearances remain a central concern
The European Union identified enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings as serious areas of concern.
According to the assessment, reported cases increased during the monitoring period without sufficient accountability for those responsible. Rights organisations have long alleged that political activists, ethnic Baloch campaigners and other critics have been subjected to enforced disappearance.
Pakistan’s authorities have repeatedly rejected allegations that state institutions systematically engage in enforced disappearances. The government has also pointed to official commissions and legal procedures established to examine missing-person cases.
However, campaigners maintain that investigations are frequently slow, families receive limited information and relatively few cases lead to prosecutions or accountability.
The issue has become increasingly prominent in Balochistan, where families and civil society groups have organised protests demanding information about missing relatives. The authorities have linked instability in the province to separatist militancy and attacks on civilians, security personnel and infrastructure.
The Pakistan GSP+ review indicated that security considerations do not remove the state’s obligation to investigate alleged violations, protect due process and ensure accountability.
The assessment called for Pakistan to reverse negative trends involving enforced disappearances and to address the wider sense of impunity surrounding alleged human rights violations.
Press freedom in Pakistan faces scrutiny
Press freedom in Pakistan was another major concern raised in the assessment.
The European Union said conditions for journalists had deteriorated further, citing harassment, restrictions on independent reporting and the use of legal proceedings against journalists and critics.
The assessment also referred to strategic lawsuits against public participation. Such cases are generally understood as legal actions used to burden journalists, campaigners or other public participants with litigation costs and pressure.
Particular attention was given to amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, commonly known as PECA. Critics argue that the expanded law gives authorities broad powers to regulate online speech and could be used against journalists, political opponents and social media users.
The government has defended the legislation as necessary to address misinformation, online abuse, manipulated content and threats to national security. Officials have said digital platforms must be held accountable for harmful or unlawful material.
The European Union’s concerns centre on whether restrictions are clearly defined, proportionate and accompanied by adequate judicial and procedural safeguards.
The assessment recommended reforms to PECA to ensure that measures against online harms do not improperly restrict freedom of expression.
It also called for changes to blasphemy and anti-terrorism laws, which rights groups say can be misused against religious minorities, journalists, political activists and individuals involved in personal disputes.
Judicial independence questioned after constitutional changes
Recent constitutional reforms also featured in the Pakistan GSP+ review.
The assessment raised concerns about the possible effect of constitutional amendments on judicial independence, military accountability and the rule of law.
Pakistan has undergone significant changes to the constitutional structure governing judicial appointments, constitutional cases and the distribution of authority within the superior courts.
Supporters of the reforms have argued that they are intended to improve institutional efficiency, distribute judicial powers more clearly and reduce delays in constitutional litigation.
Critics, however, have questioned whether the changes could increase political influence over judicial appointments and weaken the independence of the courts.
Judicial independence is directly relevant to GSP+ obligations because effective implementation of international conventions depends not only on legislation but also on access to impartial courts and enforceable remedies.
The European Union’s assessment suggests that future monitoring will examine how the amended constitutional arrangements operate in practice, including whether courts remain able to review executive action and protect fundamental rights.
Treatment of Afghan nationals draws criticism
The assessment also called on Pakistan to strengthen protections for migrants and refugees following the expansion of its Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan.
More than two million Afghan nationals have reportedly returned or been repatriated to Afghanistan since the programme began in late 2023.
The government says the policy is necessary to address illegal migration, security concerns and the economic pressures associated with hosting a large undocumented population.
Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghans during more than four decades of conflict and political instability in Afghanistan. Officials have argued that the country cannot be expected to carry this responsibility indefinitely without adequate international support.
United Nations agencies and human rights organisations have nevertheless warned that some returnees could face persecution, poverty, restrictions on women and girls or other risks after returning to Afghanistan.
Concerns have also been raised about arrests, short notice periods, family separation and the treatment of people who may have protection claims.
The European Union urged Pakistan to ensure that migration enforcement respects international human rights standards and provides appropriate protection to refugees and other vulnerable individuals.
Migration will have additional relevance under the new EU trade framework, which introduces a potential link between tariff preferences and cooperation on the readmission of a beneficiary country’s nationals who are irregularly present in the European Union.
Why EU trade preferences for Pakistan matter
The economic importance of GSP+ makes the assessment particularly significant for Pakistan.
The scheme removes tariffs from more than two-thirds of eligible product categories for qualifying countries that implement international conventions on sustainable development and governance.
More than 85 per cent of Pakistan’s exports to the European Union, including a large share of textile and clothing products, enter the market without duties or quotas under the arrangement.
In 2024, more than 88 per cent of Pakistani exports eligible for tariff reductions entered the EU at preferential rates. Approximately 89 per cent of textile and clothing products imported from Pakistan received preferential tariff treatment.
Textiles and garments remain central to Pakistan’s export economy. European buyers are important customers for bed linen, clothing, towels and other textile products produced by Pakistani manufacturers.
The loss or suspension of preferences could make Pakistani goods more expensive in the European market and weaken their competitiveness against products from countries benefiting from similar concessions or free-trade agreements.
The scheme also supports employment across textile manufacturing, cotton processing, logistics and associated industries.
However, GSP+ is not an unconditional trade agreement. It is designed as an incentive for countries to implement specific international obligations. The European Union can increase scrutiny or consider withdrawing preferences in cases of serious and persistent violations.
Withdrawal has generally been treated as a measure of last resort, with the EU placing emphasis on dialogue, monitoring and engagement with beneficiary governments.
New EU GSP+ rules increase requirements
The new EU GSP+ rules will begin to apply from 1 January 2027 and will strengthen the link between trade preferences and sustainable development obligations.
The number of international conventions covered by the new framework will increase from 27 to 32. New conventions will include instruments concerning the rights of persons with disabilities, children involved in armed conflict, labour inspection, tripartite labour consultations and transnational organised crime.
The Paris Agreement on climate change will replace the Kyoto Protocol in the list of relevant environmental commitments.
Countries applying for GSP+ will also be required to submit a forward-looking plan describing how they intend to implement the conventions.
The revised framework introduces stronger transparency and monitoring provisions, as well as an urgent procedure allowing preferences to be withdrawn in exceptional cases involving grave violations.
Existing GSP+ beneficiaries, including Pakistan, will have to reapply under the new admission rules. They will have a transitional period until the end of 2028 to prepare and submit their applications and will continue receiving existing preferences during that period.
Pakistan has formally expressed its interest in joining the new scheme. During high-level talks in June 2026, Pakistan and the European Union agreed to continue cooperating to fulfil the relevant conditions.
Pakistan faces implementation challenge
The latest assessment does not state that Pakistan’s GSP+ preferences have been immediately withdrawn. Instead, it highlights areas that are likely to influence future monitoring and the country’s reapplication.
Pakistan’s central challenge will be demonstrating that reforms are producing measurable changes beyond the passage of legislation.
This will require effective investigations into alleged abuses, accountability for perpetrators and stronger protection for journalists, minorities, women, children, migrants and political activists.
The government will also need to show that counterterrorism, cybersecurity and public-order laws contain sufficient safeguards against arbitrary or politically motivated use.
For businesses, the continuation of GSP+ remains essential to maintaining competitive access to the European market. Exporters therefore have a direct economic interest in Pakistan meeting the human rights, labour and governance standards linked to the programme.
At the same time, European officials will have to balance the scheme’s reform objectives against the possible economic consequences of restricting trade preferences for workers and industries.
The Pakistan GSP+ review reflects that tension. It recognises legal progress and the economic value of continued engagement while warning that compliance cannot be measured by legislation alone.
Pakistan’s ability to retain preferential access under the new framework will ultimately depend on whether it can translate recent reforms into credible institutional practice and demonstrate sustained progress in the areas identified by the European Union.
Published in SouthAsianDesk, July 17, 2026
Follow SouthAsianDesk on X, Instagram and Facebook for insights on business and current affairs from across South Asia.
