ISLAMABAD: The European Union’s mission in Islamabad said on Thursday it had not received any “official communication” from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party of jailed ex-premier Imran Khan on the Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) special trade scheme.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar accused the PTI of approaching the EU and starting a series of online petitions urging European authorities to withdraw Pakistan’s GSP+ status, a special trade arrangement offered to developing economies in return for their commitment to implement 27 international conventions on human rights, environmental protection and governance.
The current GSP framework came to an end in December 2023 but Members of EU Parliament (MEPs) voted in October to extend the current rules on the scheme for another four years for developing countries, including Pakistan.
“We have not received any official communication from PTI regarding GSP+,” Samar Saeed Akhtar, EU Press and Information Officer in Islamabad, told Arab News.
The PTI has also said it had not written any letter to the EU, as alleged by the information minister, on Pakistan’s GSP+ status.
“During a recent visit, both EU and Commonwealth delegations met with various political parties, including PTI and no other engagement with the EU took place than this,” PTI spokesperson Raoof Hassan said.
Last month, the PTI sent a letter to the International Monetary Fund, urging it to ensure an audit of the disputed Feb. 8 elections before any more bailout talks with Islamabad. The letter was widely decried by Khan’s rivals as an attack on Pakistan’s efforts to achieve economic stability.
The International Monetary Fund will hold a second and last review of Pakistan’s $3 billion stand-by arrangement (SBA) this week, the finance ministry and the IMF said on Wednesday, during which the South Asian nation will ask for a new longer-term bailout.
The four-day review begins today, Thursday, and if successful, will release a final tranche of around $1.1 billion secured by Islamabad under a last-gasp rescue package last summer, averting a sovereign debt default.
EU denies ‘official communication’ from Imran Khan’s party on Pakistan’s GSP+ status
https://arab.news/9mtbj
EU denies ‘official communication’ from Imran Khan’s party on Pakistan’s GSP+ status
- Information Minister Tarar has accused PTI of conspiring to get special trade status withdrawn
- Current GSP regulation was set to expire in December 2023 but extended until Dec. 31, 2027
Pakistan Air Force conducts ‘Exercise Golden Eagle’ to test combat readiness, agility
- The exercise follows an intense, four-day Pakistan-India military conflict in May 2025
- It focused on AI-enabled operations integrating disruptive technologies, military says
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has conducted “Exercise Golden Eagle” that successfully validated its combat readiness and operational agility through synchronized employment of the PAF’s complete combat potential, the Pakistani military said on Tuesday.
It comes months after Pakistan’s four-day military conflict with India in May, with Islamabad claiming victory in the standoff after the PAF claimed to have shot down at least six Indian fighter aircraft, including the French-made Rafale. New Delhi acknowledged some losses but did not specify a number.
The exercise was conducted on a Two-Force construct, focusing on AI-enabled, net-centric operations while integrating indigenous niche, disruptive and smart technologies in line with evolving regional security dynamics, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani military’s media wing.
Operating within a robust Integrated Air Defense System, friendly forces shaped the battlespace through seamless fusion of kinetic operations with cyber, space and electro-magnetic spectrum operations.
“The kinetic phase featured First-Shoot, First-Kill swing-role combat aircraft equipped with long-range BVR air-to-air missiles, extended-range stand-off weapons and precision strike capabilities, supported by Airborne Early Warning & Control platforms and Air-to-Air Refuelers,” the ISPR said in a statement.
“A key highlight of the exercise was Manned–Unmanned Teaming, with deep-reach killer drones and loitering munitions operating in a highly contested, congested and degraded environment, validating PAF’s capability to conduct high-tempo operations in modern warfare.”
In recent months, many countries have stepped up defense engagement with Pakistan, while delegations from multiple nations have proposed learning from the PAF’s multi-domain air warfare capabilities that officials say were successfully employed during the May conflict.
“The successful conduct of Exercise Golden Eagle reaffirms Pakistan Air Force’s unwavering commitment to maintaining a high state of operational preparedness, leveraging indigenous innovation and effectively countering emerging and future security challenges,” the ISPR added.
