Pakistan appreciates EU for GSP Plus status after passing controversial cybercrime law

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday met a senior European Union official to thank the inter-governmental body for its support for Pakistan’s GSP Plus status, hours after it passed a controversial cybercrime law that rights bodies and journalists allege is aimed at suppressing freedom of expression online. 
The GSP Plus status gives developing countries such as Pakistan a special incentive to pursue sustainable development and good governance. Countries have to implement 27 international conventions on human rights, labor rights, the environment and good governance in return for the EU to cut its import duties to zero on more than two-thirds of the tariff lines of their exports. In October 2023, the EU rolled over the current GSP Plus status for developing countries, including Pakistan, till 2027.
Pakistan’s digital rights experts, however, have raised concern that the government’s action of adopting the controversial Prevention of Electronic Crimes Amendment Bill, 2025, which opposition and journalists say is aimed at taking action against dissent on social media platforms, can put Pakistan’s GSP Plus status in danger. 
Dar, who also serves as Pakistan’s foreign minister, met EU Special Representative for Human Rights Ambassador Olaf Skoog at the foreign ministry’s office on Wednesday. 
“The DPM/FM highlighted Pakistan-EU’s growing cooperation in the political and economic spheres and appreciated EU’s continued support for Pakistan’s GSP plus status,” the ministry said. 
Dar underscored the importance of Pakistan-EU dialogue on human rights, emphasizing that Islamabad was a firm believer in the protection of fundamental rights. He said the Pakistani government continued to enact and strengthen human rights legislation.
The ministry said Skoog “positively” assessed the potential of Pakistan-EU relations and appreciated the continued growth of collaborative partnership across all sectors.
“The EU SR is on a four-day visit to Pakistan,” the ministry said. “The visit is part of Pakistan-EU joint efforts to enhance dialogue on Human Rights.”
Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday signed the bill into law after it was approved by both houses of Pakistan’s parliament following noisy protests by journalists and lawmakers. 
The new amendment bill now proposes the establishment of the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority to perform a range of functions related to social media, including awareness, training, regulation, enlistment and blocking. 
SMPRA would be able to order the immediate blocking of unlawful content targeting judges, the armed forces, parliament or provincial assemblies or material which promotes and encourages terrorism and other forms of violence against the state or its institutions. 
The law also makes spreading disinformation a criminal offense punishable by three years in prison and a fine of two million rupees ($7,150).
A copy of the bill seen by Arab News has set imprisonment of up to three years and a fine of Rs2 million or both for “whoever intentionally disseminates, publicly exhibits, or transmits any information through any information system, that he knows or has reason to believe to be false or fake and likely to cause or create a sense of fear, panic or disorder or unrest in general public or society.”
Information Minister Ataullah Tarar told reporters last week that the bill will protect journalists and not harm them.
“This is the first time the government has defined what social media is,” Tarar said. “There is already a system in place for print and electronic media and complaints can be registered against them.”
He said “working journalists” should not feel threatened by the bill, which had to be passed because the Federal Investigation Agency, previously responsible for handling cybercrime, “does not have the capacity to handle child pornography or AI deep fake cases.”