High time EU calls out Pakistan on political imprisonments, election theft and terror financing

Brussels, Nov 21 Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is visiting Brussels currently for the 4th EU Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum and also holding several meetings with European counterparts on the sidelines of the gathering.

Earlier this week, Dar, who is leading the Pakistani delegation for the 7th Session of Pakistan-EU Strategic Dialogue, also called on the President of the EU Council, Antonio Costa.

Ironically, his visit is taking place just weeks before the European Commission submits its 2026 report on Pakistan’s compliance with the 27 core conventions tied to GSP+ – the preferential trade scheme that delivers Pakistan roughly €3–4 billion a year in extra exports, a report has highlighted.

"The EU's own monitoring reports, European Parliament resolutions (including 2024), Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the UN all document the same pattern: thousands of enforced disappearances in Pakistan’s restive province Balochistan, extrajudicial killings in the former tribal areas, terrorist financing networks still active, and UN-sanctioned terrorists living openly. If Brussels limits itself to polite generalities, it will effectively endorse these violations," investigative news platform South Asia Press reported.

In its analysis, the media outlet highlighted that there are several issues and questions that the EU leaders must ask Ishaq Dar – publicly and on the record.

This includes the current situation in Balochistan where enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings continue.

"Thousands of Baloch civilians remain missing after abduction by state forces. Dr Mahrang Baloch, the most prominent voice against disappearances, has been detained since March 2025 on fabricated charges. Mutilated bodies of abducted persons continue to appear across the province in the infamous 'kill-and-dump' pattern documented by the HRCP and Amnesty International. When will Pakistan immediately release Dr Mahrang Baloch and all those held for peaceful activism, publish a complete list of the disappeared, grant the UN Working Group on Enforced Disappearances unrestricted access, end the kill-and-dump practice, prosecute responsible officers, and repeal the Actions in Aid of Civil Power Regulation that gives the military blanket impunity?" the report questioned.

It also mentions about the democratic collapse in Pakistan, especially the "annihilation" of political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) which is led by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

"Khan remains imprisoned on politically motivated charges widely condemned as retribution. Thousands of PTI workers and leaders have been arrested, tortured or driven into exile. The party was stripped of its election symbol, its rallies banned, and the 8 February 2024 elections were marred by rigging so blatant that even the EU's own Election Observation Mission described the environment as 'restrictive' and noted 'systematic' attempts to prevent PTI candidates from campaigning," the report detailed.

Continuing violence in former tribal districts (ex-FATA) via military and intelligence operations continue to cause civilian deaths and mass displacement at the same time.

South Asia Press report urged EU leaders to ask Pakistan Foreign Minister about his country's plan to fully demilitarise the region, provide reparations to victims, restore unrestricted constitutional protections, and unconditionally release Ali Wazir and other Pashtun political detainees.

Similarly, the report highlighted targetting of the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM); use of Pakistani soil and financial channels by UN-designated terrorist entities LeT and JeM despite country's formal removal from the FATF grey list in 2022; Islamabad's promotion of cross-border terrorism with UN-sanctioned terrorists, including Masood Azhar and Hafiz Saeed, remaining free or under luxurious house arrests despite India providing concrete evidence of Pakistan-based handlers directing attacks in Jammu and Kashmir; and, a "serious and systematic" violation of GSP+ Regulation mandates by Pakistan.

"Why should the EU not launch immediate suspension proceedings – as it has done with Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Cambodia – unless Pakistan commits to measurable, time-bound reforms within six months? Europe's trade preferences are not charity; they are conditional. They are the EU's own legal duty under Regulation (EU) 978/2012. Silence or vague assurances this week will tell the people of Balochistan and the Pashtun belt, Imran Khan’s unlawful incarceration and his party’s persecution, and victims of terrorism in South Asia whether European trade interests outweigh European values," the report stated.

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