ISLAMABAD: About the Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) preferential trade scheme, the European Union embassy in Islamabad made it clear that it had not received any “official communication” from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar made accusations that the PTI had approached the EU and started online petitions requesting that European authorities cancel Pakistan’s GSP+ status. This declaration follows those allegations.
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Pakistan and other developing economies are granted the GSP+ status, a special trade agreement, in return for their commitment to implementing 27 international treaties on governance, environmental protection, and human rights.
The European Parliament (MEPs) decided in October to prolong the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) for developing nations for an additional four years, despite the fact that the present GSP framework expired in December 2023.
In Islamabad, EU Press and Information Officer Samar Saeed Akhtar declared, “We have not received any official communication regarding GSP+ from PTI.” In contradiction to the information minister’s assertions, the PTI also denied ever writing to the EU about Pakistan’s GSP+ status.
“During a recent visit, both EU and Commonwealth delegations met with various political parties, including PTI,” explained PTI spokesperson Raoof Hassan. “After this, there was no further engagement with the EU.”
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In a related event, the PTI requested in a letter sent to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) last month that an audit be conducted of the contentious elections held on February 8 be conducted before holding any more loan negotiations with Islamabad. Khan’s opponents denounced this measure as an attack on Pakistan’s attempts to attain economic stability.