Overview
- The Foreign Office said the European Commission acknowledged Pakistan's legislative progress under the GSP+ rules but complained the overall report gave disproportionate weight to areas with slower progress and did not present a balanced picture.
- Pakistan reaffirmed that GSP+ is central to its trade with the EU and said the scheme supports exports, employment, women's economic participation and poverty reduction while promising continued, constructive engagement with EU institutions.
- The Foreign Office rejected an Amnesty International finding that March airstrikes in Kabul hit a rehabilitation centre, saying the allegations lack credible evidence and that any strikes were self‑defence operations aimed at terrorist infrastructure and conducted in line with international law.
- Islamabad condemned recent threats to Saudi Arabia and attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and warned that hostile acts against Pakistani‑flagged vessels would be treated as a grave national security threat.
- Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will lead Pakistan's delegation to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation foreign ministers' meeting in Kyrgyzstan, where Islamabad plans to press regional partners about militants operating from Afghan soil and broader security cooperation.