LAHORE – Governor Punjab Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar has said that he had met36 members of European Parliament to enable Pakistan get an extension inthe GSP Plus status and the extension was expected by the end of January2020.
In an interview with APP here on Sunday, he talked about his marathonmeeting with Vice President European Parliament Fabio Massimo, Chairman ofCommittee on Foreign Affairs David Macallister, Chairperson Committee onHuman Right besides other members to press for the grant of extension inGSP Plus status to Pakistan.
Governor Punjab Mohammad Sarwar spoke at length of his recent Europe visitand said that he informed the Members European Parliament of Pakistan’sprogress on various fronts including strengthening of democracy, improvedinternal security, economic reforms, minority and human rights protectionand efforts for regional peace.
About the benefits of GSP Plus status to Pakistan, he said it had helped instrengthening democracy, creation of jobs for women in the textile sectorand partial implementation of labour laws.
To a query, he said Indian lobbyists have launched an aggressivemud-slinging campaign against Pakistan in the European Parliament, addingthat he had defended Pakistan’s case successfully how India was committinghuman rights violations in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K)and posed constant threat to regional peace through its war-mongering inthe region.
He said the Members European Parliament were also reminded how Pakistan hadsuffered due to war in Afghanistan, adding that more than 50,000 Pakistanislost their lives, Kalashnikov culture and drugs were a result of the Afghanwar while eight million refugees were still in Pakistn.
“I informed the European Parliament members that Pakistan opened KartarpurCorridor as a goodwill gesture to minorities in the country and never tookany tit-for-tat action over Indian human rights violations in Kashmir,” heresponded, adding that Founder of Pakistan Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad AliJinnah’s vision provided freedom to the minorities in Pakistan and the PTIgovernment was implementing all those golden principles of rights to theminorities.
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To another question, he said that the members were informed that the GSPPlus status was of mutual economic benefit as the exports of European Unionrose to 47 per cent as compared to Pakistan’s 51 per cent mark.
About economic challenges to the PTI government, he said the country’seconomy was improving with every passing day, adding that though the commonman was not aware of the facts about country’s current account deficit haddecreased to $1.5 billion from $18 billion while Pakistan’s ranking amongeconomic watchdogs had also improved considerably.
On the election of 15 Pakistani-British nationals to the House of Commonsin the UK general elections, Ch Sarwar hailed the success and expressed thehope that their presence in the UK parliament would help highlight thesorry plight of Muslims in Kashmir and Palestine.
On forward Bloc within the PTI ranks, Ch Sarwar said there was nothing toworry about as disagreements among party members is beauty of democracy,adding that parliamentarians sometimes feel disgruntled as they had toanswerable to their voters.On the doctor-lawyer standoff, he said Provincial Law Minister RajaBasharat was in complete control of the situation, adding that there shouldnot be any ill-will between two big institutions.
About the student unions, Governor Punjab Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar saidthere was need for a debate on the issue and the government was mullingover the idea, adding that a mechanism would have to be devised where therewould be interference of political parties in the working of student unions.
