ABBOTTABAD: Speakers at a consultative dialogue held at the District Bar Association Abbottabad on Wednesday emphasized that strengthening the national economy through the uninterrupted access of Pakistani products to European markets is the urgent need of the hour. They stressed that compliance with the conditions of the already obtained trade concessions is a national responsibility, requiring the government to adhere to its international agreements concerning civil liberties and human rights.
The dialogue titled “civic freedoms and national economy” was jointly organized by the Human Development Organization (HDO-Pakistan) and Integrated Human Rights Network (IHRN) in connection with global event of International human rights day.
Participants included lawyers, media representatives, civil society members, and the office bearers of Abbottabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry. Mr. Mohammad Ahsan Khan, Program Director HDO, detailed the critical link between rights and trade and added that Pakistani products enjoy either zero or minimal tariff access to the markets of 27 European Union countries under the Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+). “The condition set for this is Pakistan’s commitment to implementing the 27 UN’s human rights treaties and fundamental civil liberties such as freedom of expression, assembly, and association”, he said.
Talking about the economic Benefits of GSP+ status Mr. Khan noted that since 2014, those concessions have had a positive impact, boosting Pakistan’s export volume from $6 billion to around $16 billion. He however warned that the European Union was soon scheduled to conduct a review of Pakistan’s GSP status in the purview of civil liberties and human rights situation.
“As the strong national economy which is imperative for a prosperious nation, we need to take steps for ensuring compliance of international committement for and get rid of those elements proving deterimental to Pakistani economy”, he asserted.
Senior journalist and human rights defender Mr Muhammad Sadaqat Hasan, in his address highlighted that by ratifying seven UN human rights treaties, Pakistan was legally bound to uphold human rights and civil liberties. Talking about the global event of International Human Rights Day, he said that the theme “Our everyday essentials” also lay stressed on the government of the day to ensure the respect of civic freedoms of the citizens that were not only guranteed under the international human rights treaties but also the constitution of Pakistan.
Asad Khan Jadoon, General Secretary of the District Bar, presented a resolution that strongly urged the government to ensure the implementation of global agreements for the sake of the country’s economic stability and prosperity.
The discussion saw participation from legal and business figures, including District Bar President Imran Younis Khan Tanoli Advocate, Muhammad Idris Awan Advocate, Malik Saeed Akhtar Advocate, Zafar Iqbal Advocate, Syed Zulfiqar Shah Advocate, Vice President of the Abbottabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry Haji Maqbool Khan, and senior journalist Madani Ejaz Jadoon. They shared their views on civil liberties and pledged to raise the matter on relevant national forums.
