A delegation of the Baloch National Movement’s (BNM) foreign department held important meetings with Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in The Hague on 23 October 2026. The aim of these meetings was to step up the campaign to end Pakistan’s GSP+ trade status ahead of the review expected in January 2027. The delegation works under the GSP+ Accountability Team of the BNM’s Department of Foreign Affairs.
The meetings took place at the launch event of the Union of European Federalists (UEF) Netherlands, held at the Europa Experience in The Hague. The theme of the event was: “Global challenges we face together”.
During the event, the BNM delegation met MEPs Anna Strolenberg and Raquel García Hermida-van der Walle, as well as Ester Lijnes, president of the Young European Federalists (JEF) Netherlands.
The delegation gave the European representatives a detailed briefing on the human rights situation in Balochistan, the Baloch nation’s struggle for freedom and the right to self-determination, and Pakistan’s failure to implement its international human rights commitments.
The central subject of these meetings was Pakistan’s GSP+ status. The delegation called on the European representatives to support ending the preferential trade concessions Pakistan enjoys. The delegation’s position was that a country involved in enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, collective punishment and other serious human rights violations should not continue to receive trade benefits without an effective system of accountability.
The delegation also handed the European representatives a detailed report documenting human rights concerns in Balochistan and Pakistan’s non-compliance with the international conventions linked to the EU’s GSP+ scheme.
For the past two years, the BNM’s foreign department has been running a broad diplomatic campaign to challenge Pakistan’s GSP+ concessions. Through meetings with European representatives, formal submissions, presentation of evidence and continuous diplomatic contacts, the BNM has made significant progress in bringing the human rights situation in Balochistan to the attention of European policymakers.
The review of Pakistan’s GSP+ status is expected in January 2027, and the BNM considers this period extremely important for its diplomatic efforts. The party hopes the European Union will seriously consider its proposals, evidence and submitted documents when it reviews Pakistan’s compliance with the scheme’s conditions.
The BNM’s position is that the European Union must maintain its commitment to the human rights principles that underpin its trade policies. Trade concessions must not become a shield for avoiding accountability for serious human rights violations.
The BNM’s Department of Foreign Affairs will continue its diplomatic contacts with European institutions and policymakers, keep demanding an end to Pakistan’s GSP+ status, and work to ensure that the human rights situation in Balochistan remains part of EU discussions on trade and accountability.
