ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s federal cabinet on Tuesday upheld a ban on the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) religious party under the country’s anti-terrorism laws for killing policemen, attacking law enforcement personnel and disrupting public life in April by launching nationwide protests.
The government also vowed to get the party’s election symbol canceled from the Election Commission of Pakistan by adopting necessary legal procedures to prevent TLP from participating in any upcoming polls.
The TLP party held unruly protests in April wherein its workers abducted policemen, killed two of them and injured several others.
The group used violent means to force the government to expel the ambassador of France for the publication of blasphemous caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in French publications.
While the country’s interior ministry later banned the party, it allowed TLP leadership to file a review petition against the decision.
Pakistan’s interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Tuesday presented the review committee’s decision on the TLP ban before the cabinet.
“The federal cabinet has decided to uphold the ban on the TLP party,” Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Hussain Chaudhry told the media after the cabinet meeting in Islamabad.
The minister said the decision to ban the party was based on “merit and facts” because it had killed police personnel, tortured members of law enforcement agencies and set public property ablaze during the anti-France protests.
He informed that the country’s law ministry and attorney general would approach the election commission to get the registration and election symbol of the party canceled.
The minister also ruled out the possibility that the party would emerge again under a different name and election symbol.
“The law will take its own course now,” he said.
The federal cabinet also approved three public holidays on Eid Al-Adha from July 20 to July 22.
“The NCOC proposed five public holidays on Eid, but the cabinet approved only three,” Chaudhry said.
He announced that Saudi Arabia was releasing at least 85 Pakistani prisoners on Eid, and a special plane would be dispatched to bring them back.
“This is good news,” he said.
The information minister noted that the kingdom had already released hundreds of Pakistani prisoners involved in petty crimes as part of a goodwill gesture.
He recalled that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced to release Pakistani prisoners during his two-day historic visit to Islamabad in February 2019.
Pakistani cabinet upholds ban on political party behind violent anti-France protests
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Pakistani cabinet upholds ban on political party behind violent anti-France protests
- Tehreek-e-Labbaik party abducted policemen and targeted public property in April while seeking expulsion of French ambassador from Pakistan
- Pakistan’s information minister says Saudi Arabia will release 85 more Pakistani prisoners from its jails on Eid Al-Adha
Pakistan steps up EU trade engagement as India deal raises export fears
- Deputy PM chairs inter-ministerial meeting, calls GSP+ “crucial” for growth
- Move follows India–EU trade pact that industry warns could hit exports, jobs
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Friday chaired a high-level inter-ministerial meeting to review and strengthen trade and economic relations with the European Union, as Islamabad scrambles to safeguard market access following India’s new trade deal with the bloc.
The meeting is part of a broader diplomatic and policy push this week after India and the EU confirmed a free trade agreement granting Indian exporters sweeping tariff-free access to Europe — a development Pakistani exporters and analysts warn could erode Pakistan’s competitiveness, particularly in textiles, its largest export sector.
The EU is Pakistan’s second-largest export market, accounting for about $9 billion in annual shipments, mostly textiles and apparel. Industry leaders have warned that India’s tariff-free access could undercut Pakistan’s long-standing advantage under the EU’s Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+), which allows duty-free access in return for commitments on labor rights, human rights and governance.
At Friday’s meeting, Dar emphasized the centrality of GSP+ to Pakistan’s trade strategy with Europe.
“He emphasized that GSP Plus remains a crucial framework for mutually beneficial trade and underlined the need to maximize its potential for Pakistan’s economic growth,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.
Dar also stressed the importance of enhancing trade cooperation with the EU and exploring new avenues for economic engagement, as Pakistan assesses how to respond to shifting trade dynamics in Europe.
The inter-ministerial huddle follows a series of rapid consultations this week, including a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the EU’s ambassador to Pakistan, as well as briefings by trade bodies to Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on the potential impact of the India–EU agreement.
Exporters have warned that unless Pakistan lowers production costs, particularly energy tariffs, and secures continued preferential access, the country could face declining market share in Europe and job losses across its labor-intensive textile sector.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office has said Islamabad is aware of the India–EU agreement and continues to view its trade relationship with the EU as mutually beneficial, but officials acknowledge that the new deal has intensified pressure to defend Pakistan’s position within the bloc.
