Pakistan lagging in EV production, only 60,000 produced against 600,000 target — senate body

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Office said on Thursday Islamabad was not taking “for granted” the GSP+ status awarded by the European Union, saying there was a “robust” mechanism in place for the EU to supervise and coordinate implementation of Pakistan’s obligations under the special trade incentives arrangement. 
The statement by Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan came after a report published by Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper said EU Special Rep­resentative for Human Rights, Olof Skoog, who is on a visit to Pakistan, had warned Pakistan “not to take its GSP+ status for granted.”
The GSP+ scheme grants beneficiary countries’ exports duty-free access to the European market in exchange for voluntarily agreeing to implement 27 international core conventions, including on human and civil rights.
Multiple developments on the human rights front have raised concerns over Pakistan’s GSP+ status in recent weeks. The EU last month openly criticized Pakistan for sentencing over 80 civilians in army courts after charging them for anti-government riots in May 2023 in which military installations were attacked, saying it was “inconsistent” with Pakistan’s international obligations. 
This week, the country’s GSP+ status has once more been in the spotlight after parliament passed a controversial cybercrime law that journalists and digital rights activists have widely said aims to crackdown against dissent on social media platforms. 
“In interstate relations, no one takes any state or any party for granted … EU remains a very important partner for Pakistan … It’s a rich and very comprehensive partnership ... and GSP+ is one component of this very rich relationship,” the foreign office spokesperson said at a weekly press briefing in Islamabad when asked about Skoog’s comments. 
He said there was a “robust” implementation process to supervise and coordinate Pakistan’s, “follow-up or implementation of the range of treaties.”
“What we have put across [to the EU] is our perspective on whatever things are happening on our legislative front, for example, on PECA [Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act] or on the [military] trials … but this is an ongoing process. There is no one sitting in judgment on what’s happening in Pakistan. It’s a collaborative dialogue between two partners and friends.”
Talking to Dawn, Skoog said he had expressed the EU’s “apprehensions and concerns” about the use of military courts against civilians.
“I had that conversation and will continue having those conversations. Our view is that for civilians, there should be a civilian court system applicable… We have raised our concerns when there is an expansive use of military courts in response to demonstrations,” he said.
Skoog also spoke about this week’s passage of controversial amendments to the country’s cybercrime laws.
“This is happening while I am visiting the country… I have been discussing [this] with government officials. Our view is there should be very limited restrictions on freedom of expression,” the special envoy said. 
“You can’t restrict freedom of expression just to protect the politicians, authorities or the system from being criticized, and these are the conversations we are having with Pakistan right now about where to draw the limits.”
The next round of the GSP+ scheme hinges upon what Pakistan does in terms of complying with its various international obligations, Skoog said, adding that it “cannot be taken for granted that [GSP+] will be there for the next round.”
In October 2023, the EU unanimously voted to extend GSP+ status until 2027 for developing countries, including Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD: A group of migrants who survived the capsizing of a boat off the coast of West Africa earlier this month began returning to Pakistan on Thursday, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Some 50 people died when a boat carrying them to the Canary Islands capsized near Dakhla, a Moroccan-controlled port city in the disputed Western Sahara, including 44 Pakistanis, according to Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Walking Borders, a Spain-based migrant rights group.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said that some of the 22 Pakistani survivors had already returned home on two flights. He did not give any further details, and it was unclear how many survivors returned home.
Almost all the Pakistanis who were on the boat were from cities in the eastern province of Punjab, and relatives of those who are feared dead have been urging the government to make efforts to bring back their bodies.
Hundreds of Pakistanis die every year while trying to reach Europe by land and sea with the help of human smugglers. Pakistan says it has launched a crackdown on human traffickers and sacked several immigration officials for negligence.