| Bernhard Schlagheck says Pakistan expected to be given GSP+ status from
2024 for another term | Shows concerns over state of human rights in India
ISLAMABAD - German Ambassador to Pakistan, Bernhard Schlagheck, hopes that Pakistan is expected to be cleared from the FATF grey list when the global anti-money laundering financial watchdog body meets in Berlin this month.
“GSP Plus status is likely to be renewed for Pakistan,” the German Ambassador told media persons here yesterday.
He said Pakistan has made progress in fulfilling the renewal for GSP plus status for another term. When asked about the ongoing human rights violations in India, the ambassador said, Germany was concerned over the state of human rights in India too. “The European Union and Germany were unanimous about human rights violations in India, and Germany is telling it to India too,” Schlagheck said.
The ambassador said that the former German Chancellor Angela Mekeral had told the Indian PM Modi that the situation in Kashmir was not sustainable and human rights have to be respected without any discrimination.
When asked about Pakistan’s status in FATF, the German ambassador lauded the progress made by Pakistan to meet the FATF conditions and expressed the confidence that the country will be out of the grey list this year.
The next review meeting is scheduled to be held in Berlin from June 14 to 17, and the ambassador suggested that the FATF teams should visit Pakistan to see the practical steps taken by Pakistan to meet the conditions and curb money laundering and other issues.
The German envoy brushed aside the concerns that certain lobbies were active in the FATF against Pakistan. He said that FATF was a collective forum and one country alone cannot influence decisions.
“It is a technical process and positive results regarding Pakistan are expected,” he added.
He stopped short of criticising India over the missile incident, and said that such matters have to be taken into consideration seriously, but he lauded that there was a relative calm at the LoC but the overall situation has to improve.
Regarding the GSP+ status granted to Pakistan that is set to expire in the last quarter of 2023, Schlagheck said that an EU delegation is set to arrive in Pakistan next week.
“This is a new mission from Brussels, the outcome will be positive but there are certain practical steps that Pakistan has to take,” he said, adding that while the country has signed all the relevant conventions, the implementation process needs to be visible.”
He expressed the confidence that Pakistan is expected to be given the GSP+ status from 2024 for another term.
However, he added that some tasks have to be done, and the governments are aware of this. Among these issues includes misuse of blasphemy laws and undue laws related to death penalty.
“We understand that it is not practically possible to finish the blasphemy law but its misuse has to be contained, besides there are certain provisions that award of death penalties should be amended,” he added.
Schlagheck said that the European Parliament too, had a role in this matter and suggested that the Pakistani foreign minister as well as the parliamentarians should meet the members of the European Parliaments.
