EU-Pakistan row: 'GSP+ status is not a one-way street'

[Nilgiri]

EU-Pakistan row: 'GSP+ status is not a one-way street' – DW – 05/04/2021

The European Parliament has called for a review of Pakistan's GSP+ status due to concerns over the latter's blasphemy laws and poor rights record. DW spoke to German MEP Reinhard Bütikofer about what this means for the EU-Pakistan ties.

www.dw.com

The European Parliament has called for a review of Pakistan's GSP+ status due to concerns over the latter's blasphemy laws and poor rights record. DW spoke to German MEP Reinhard Bütikofer about what this means for the EU-Pakistan ties.

(Video at link)

Update from Pakistan's perspective:

'No compromise on finality of Prophethood laws,' says PM Imran Khan

PM chairs meeting in response to a resolution passed by the European Parliament a few days ago, say sources

www.geo.tv

Context:

The meeting was briefed that Pakistan would face a loss of $3 billion if the GSP Plus status was revoked, sources said.

Last week, the European Parliament had adopted a resolution calling for a review of the GSP Plus status granted to Pakistan, saying that it has been observed that laws (that it said were discriminatory) towards minorities and fundamental rights, were on the rise.

The resolution was presented by Renew Europe, a liberal, pro-European political group of the European Parliament. It was adopted with a majority of 681 votes against six.

 

[Nilgiri]

@Waz @Saiyan0321 @Kaptaan et al. any comments/thoughts on this?

 

[Kaptaan]

The European Parliament has called for a review of Pakistan's GSP+ status due to concerns over the latter's blasphemy laws and poor rights record. DW spoke to German MEP Reinhard Bütikofer about what this means for the EU-Pakistan ties.

This has nothing to do with blasphemy laws which have been around for decades but everything to do with the recent spat over the French ambassador thing. And I hope the EU does remove the status to teach the Islamists a lesson.

 

[Saiyan0321]

@Waz @Saiyan0321 @Kaptaan et al. any comments/thoughts on this?

This has nothing to do with blasphemy laws which have been around for decades but everything to do with the recent spat over the French ambassador thing. And I hope the EU does remove the status to teach the Islamists a lesson.

I agree with Kaptaan here. The entire incident is based on absolute and senseless hostility that Pakistan caused with France on the issue. Infact the way the relations plummeted could only have happened in a more worse manner if we had bombed Paris. This entire incident was senseless and foolish and the immediate downgrade of relations with a country with which we have 300 million dollar bilateral trade and has, in the last decade sold us weaponry and helped us in civilian nuclear power and nuclear safety. We decided, for no reason at all, to piss off one of the heavy weights of Europe and then wonder why the European Union is not happy with us? Ofcourse they are not happy and in EU, and in the world for that matter, the diplomatic push that france has far outstrips that of our own but no. We not only started to declare and use religious symbolism to showcase our Islamic credentials, the government had nothing else going, but also allowed for the extremist groups to showcase power, make headlines and then legitimized them by holding talks and promising to table their demands in the parliament. If you table a demand in the parliament, aka the demand to come from the government then that shows the will of the government and what they wish they do. A resolution is exactly that. Doesnt matter if you go through with it or not but you declared your will by tabling it.

Ofcourse when we act so hostile to france then why should we expect france and their allies to be supportive of us and provide us benefits. However my dear Kaptaan you underestimate the delusions of the Islamists here. It will teach the government a lesson but not the Islamists since they will feel that this is nothing more than a sacrifice for God and their delusional mureed will declare that this will

Help pakistan wean from western influence (Without providing any credible evidence of it)

Help Pakistan become self-sufficient (again no evidence will be provided)

Help Pakistan become Islamic riyasaat and since God has taken responsibility for Rizq thus we have nothing to worry about. I kid you not, i have heard these excuses.

 

[Kaptaan]

The entire incident is based on absolute and senseless hostility that Pakistan caused with France on the issue. Infact the way the relations plummeted could only have happened in a more worse manner if we had bombed Paris.

Precisely. A Chechen refugee murders his teacher in Paris, France and the result is police officers are killed in Pakistan and the country is on riot for week. Think about this how perverse this is. I think you already know my position on religion in public space. This is one example of why I profoundly disagree with religion in public space. I do not have any issue, in fact I think it's good for giving people a moral compass and sense of security if religion is practiced in the private space.

Why should your belief be enforced on me? Not only that religion is a irrational, illogical construct, that is not based on reason but believe. Objectively religion is a psychosis. All religions. However to the believer they are as real as is possible and source of emotional fuel.

This potentially weaponizes a faith. Since anybody can claim what he or she wants but if that is dressed in religious language then nobody dare question it. The TLP fiasco was a case study in this. Once TLP made this into a emotive issue and about love of the prophet [pbuh] who dared oppose them?

You saw how all the government officials began indulging in a childish game of "we love the prophet [pbuh] more" which did not work too well as TLP claimed their "ashq" was deeper and higher then the governments. It was perverse.

The waves created by this was so strong that the government dare not go against them lest they be accussed of not loving the prophet [pbuh]. Thus we saw the government was only left with one choice. If you can't beat them join them. Thus PMIK went on about how he was going to do this and that.

This event has demonstrated that Pakistani state is hostage to any event across the globe. At a drop of the hat crap happens on other side of world ends up with a wrecking tsunami in Pakistan. How sad.

As you know I am averse to the Indian Muslim migrants [Mohajir] who came in huge numbers after 1947. The reason is I blame them for injecting religion into the public space which since then has infected the entire country.

I know Pakistan is a terrific country blessed with fabulous landscapes, great people, grand history and could easily world class tourist industry earning billions. Last year as I was driving along the stunning M-15 I thought this country is actually eats the hell out of most European countries as a tourist destination. And this comes from a person who has been across most of Europe.

But all the potential ruined by ignorant, pathetic mullahs who use emotions and magic to whip crazed people to do even crazier things.