EU statement on sentencing by military courts being reviewed: FO

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said on Monday that the government is reviewing the European Union’s recent statement condemning the sentences handed down by military courts but that Pakistan’s stance remains that its constitution and courts can resolve the country’s internal matters. Baloch was talking to Geo News.

Her statement comes as the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office spokesperson has also issued a statement on the UK’s reaction to the military court sentences, saying that “while the UK respects Pakistan’s sovereignty over its own legal proceedings, trying civilians in military courts lacks transparency, independent scrutiny and undermines the right to a fair trial”.

Meanwhile, PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram on Monday said that the EU’s concerns on sentencing civilians in military courts were well-founded and justified, fearing it would further isolate Pakistan diplomatically.

Akram also maintained that this would also threaten Pakistan’s hard-won preferential access to the EU trade. “The EU’s concerns about military courts’ decisions being inconsistent with Pakistan’s international obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) were valid”.

He said that Pakistan’s compliance with the ICCPR was integral to its continued participation in the scheme but in this case, the civilians were deprived of all fundamental legal and constitutional rights and the military courts gave unilateral decisions.

He emphasised that the government did not realise the severity of the situation, as the GSP Plus scheme had been a cornerstone of Pakistan’s trade relationship with the EU since 2014, and losing it would lead to an estimated annual loss of $1.5–2 billion in export revenues, which would severely impact Pakistan’s economy.

Adviser to Prime Minister on Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik, in a conversation on Geo’s Capital Talk on Monday, however pointed out that “when military court trials took place during Imran Khan’s tenure, the EU didn’t give any statement. Nor did it remember our GSP Plus status at the time.”

In her talk with Geo News, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch also said that the recent imposition of sanctions by the US on Pakistan’s missile programme is unwarranted and detrimental to bilateral relations and that the US and Pakistan do not share a relationship characterised by sanctions and restrictions.

Baloch described the sanctions targeting Pakistani companies as both unnecessary and unjust, dismissing the reasons put forth by the US government as lacking legitimacy. “Pakistan’s missile programme is defensive in nature and scaled modestly within the context of South Asia”, she stated, asserting that it poses no threat to American security.

The FO spokesperson underscored that Pakistan has never sought a relationship with the US that would result in military conflict, insisting that the US decision to impose restrictions is inappropriate. “Pakistan has lodged a strong protest regarding this decision”, she added.

Baloch emphasised that Pakistan’s defence programmes -- both nuclear and missile -- are solely for the country’s security interests. “A superpower should neither experience discomfort nor view a threat from Pakistan’s missile programme”.

Highlighting India’s role in regional security dynamics, she asserted that “the main party responsible for nuclearisation in the region is India” and called for an end to double standards in international relations and urged major powers to adopt a responsible approach toward regional security.

“India’s actions have placed the region at risk, and this is something major powers should consider seriously”, Baloch stressed. She reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to its defence, stating that decisions regarding national security will always lie with the Pakistani people.

Baloch recalled the numerous sanctions Pakistan has faced in the past but asserted that the nation has always focused on bolstering its security capabilities independently. “Such measures will not affect Pakistan’s defence and its decision-making processes”. she concluded.