Imran Khan's party conspiring to get Pakistan's GSP+ status withdrawn: Interior minister

Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party has asked the European Union to revoke Pakistan's Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) Plus status and was conspiring to "destroy" its economy, the new Interior Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Wednesday.

The GSP+ serves as a special incentive arrangement to promote good governance and sustainable development by facilitating trade.

Pakistan was accorded the status in 2014 which has now been extended until 2027. The country enjoys duty-free or minimum duty on exports to the European market.

Addressing a press conference, Tarar claimed that Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party sent an online petition to the European Union to deprive Pakistan of GSP+ status, which serves as a special incentive arrangement to promote good governance and sustainable development by facilitating trade.

"Contacting the European Union and asking them to revoke Pakistan’s GSP+ status is an attack on Pakistan. This is a conspiracy to destroy Pakistan’s economy and to inflict the poor people of Pakistan with more difficulties,” he said.

Khan had earlier urged the International Monetary Fund (IMF) not to extend assistance to Pakistan without conducting an audit into the February 8 elections, which the PTI says was rigged in favour of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party led by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

Pakistan’s GSP+ status would lead to reduced inflation and increased employment opportunities.

He said that PTI was conspiring against Pakistan by creating a false narrative, adding that the party was making attempts to put the country's economy at stake through a campaign based on lies.

Tarar also alleged that PTI has used the lack of facilities being provided to PTI founder Khan in jail as an excuse to attack Pakistan's GSP+ status.

He further said that Khan, the founder of PTI, was allowed to hold hundreds of meetings during his imprisonment, claiming that he was allowed to meet four days a week.

"Every prisoner is only allowed to meet once in jail according to the prison manual," he said.

He said that the meetings in jail were banned on reports of terrorism near Adiala jail and these claims about the PTI founder not being provided facilities were baseless.

Tarar said that such actions by PTI were a pressure tactic as the party founder was allegedly deprived of extra facilities in jail, elaborating that Khan has been given a kitchen, an additional room and a gallery to walk, and was also allowed four meetings a week, despite the jail manual allowing only one per week.

“PTI founder was provided exercise equipment in the jail unlike others, the party is pushing a false narrative. You (PTI) put political interest first and ignored national interest,” said Tarar.

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