The European Union (EU) is facing intensifying scrutiny over its continued grant of Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP-Plus) trade benefits to Pakistan, with critics arguing the arrangement has persisted despite the country's documented failure to meet international human rights obligations since the deal took effect in 2014. The criticism spans religious persecution, forced conversions, and systemic abuses against minority communities — particularly Christians, who constitute less than 2% of Pakistan's population.

The GSP-Plus Arrangement Under Scrutiny

Under the GSP-Plus framework, Pakistan enjoys duty-free or preferential tariff access to the EU market for over 66% of its tariff lines — a significant economic concession tied to commitments on human rights, labour rights, and good governance. Brussels-based advocacy organisation Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF) has described the arrangement as 'the bad deal between the EU and Pakistan', arguing that the scheme 'should be suspended as long as there is no substantial human rights progress,' according to a published report.

Critics contend that Pakistan has repeatedly failed to demonstrate meaningful progress across the very benchmarks it pledged to meet when the agreement was signed. The EU conducts periodic reviews of GSP-Plus compliance, but observers argue these reviews have not translated into tangible consequences for Islamabad.

Persecution of Religious Minorities

Writing in the American media outlet PJ Media, Uzay Bulut, a Turkish journalist, highlighted the disproportionate impact on Pakistan's Christian community. 'Christians compose less than two per cent of Pakistan's population, enduring severe systemic and societal persecution. They frequently face mob violence, deadly blasphemy laws, economic exclusion or exploitation, abductions, rapes, and forced conversions. The EU, however, keeps rewarding the country with a massive economic lifeline,' Bulut wrote.

She further noted: 'Pakistan has been a significant beneficiary of the European Union's GSP-Plus since 2014. However, Pakistan's government continues to abuse the EU's generosity as well as the basic human rights of its minority citizens.'

A Case That Illustrates the Pattern

Bulut cited a recent case to illustrate the broader pattern of abuse. A 14-year-old girl was reportedly abducted on 12 May by a married Muslim man. Her father and legal counsel alleged the man forcibly converted her to Islam and married her, while reportedly exploiting her mental health vulnerabilities to sexually abuse her.

Her father, Abbas Masih, a daily wage labourer and member of a local Brethren church in Lahore's Gulbahar Colony, told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News that his daughter, Nisha Bibi, went missing while working as a domestic helper in a Muslim household. 'Legal, religious and cultural norms reinforce extreme gender inequality in Pakistan, with Christian girls vulnerable to abduction, forced conversion and marriage,' Bulut stated.

Systemic Failures Across Pledged Areas

According to Bulut, Pakistan 'continues to fail in all those same fields in which it has pledged to make progress — human and labour rights, as well as good governance — particularly when minorities are involved.' Critics argue this represents a fundamental contradiction at the heart of the EU-Pakistan trade relationship: economic access continues to flow while accountability mechanisms remain largely ineffective.

Notably, this is not a new concern. Observers have reportedly been raising alarms since at least 2014, when the GSP-Plus status was first granted, yet the arrangement has remained largely intact through successive EU review cycles.

What Comes Next

Pressure on the EU to either enforce stricter conditionality or suspend Pakistan's GSP-Plus status is likely to grow, particularly as human rights organisations continue to document abuses. The EU's next formal review of Pakistan's compliance will be closely watched by advocacy groups and policymakers alike. Whether Brussels translates criticism into concrete trade action remains the central question.