Pakistan softens death penalty laws to keep EU trade, preserves blasphemy statutes

Pakistan’s Senate has passed legislation removing the death penalty for two specific crimes in what officials openly acknowledge is a calculated move to preserve billions in European trade benefits — while leaving untouched the blasphemy laws that have sent dozens of Christians to death row.

The Criminal Laws Amendment Bill, which awaits National Assembly approval and presidential sign-off, eliminates capital punishment for publicly stripping women and harboring hijackers. Pakistani officials did not attempt to disguise their motivation: the changes were explicitly designed to satisfy European Union requirements under the Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP+) trade scheme, which demands that death sentences be “limited to the most serious crimes only.”

“This bill is aimed at aligning Pakistan’s laws with its international obligations under the GSP+ trade agreement with the European Union,” Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry told senators, according to Pakistani media reports.

Trade benefits trump human rights

The GSP+ scheme grants Pakistan zero-duty access to European markets on 66% of its exports — benefits worth approximately $3 billion annually that Pakistani officials admit they cannot afford to lose. In return, Pakistan must implement 27 international conventions on human rights, labor protections, and good governance.

However, the selective nature of Pakistan’s compliance reveals the limits of European leverage when confronting the Islamic Republic’s treatment of religious minorities.

While Pakistan has eliminated death sentences for two relatively obscure crimes, it maintains capital punishment for over 100 offenses — including blasphemy charges that disproportionately target the country’s 3 million Christians and other religious minorities.

“The death penalty currently applies to over a hundred offenses” in Pakistan, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar acknowledged during Senate debates, defending the broader system while yielding minimal ground to European pressure.

Christians bear the brunt

At least 34 members of religious minorities, including Christians, currently sit on death row in Pakistan’s Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, according to Lahore-based researcher Sarmad Ali. The overwhelming majority face blasphemy charges under laws that human rights advocates say are routinely misused to settle personal disputes and persecute religious minorities.

The case of Asia Bibi — a Catholic mother of five who spent eight years on death row before her 2018 acquittal — epitomizes the dangers facing Pakistani Christians. Bibi was convicted of blasphemy after Muslim co-workers refused to drink water she had touched because of her faith, leading to an argument that resulted in false accusations.

Her eventual vindication came at enormous cost: Two prominent Pakistani politicians who supported her — Punjab Gov. Salman Taseer and Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti — were assassinated by Islamic extremists. Taseer was gunned down by his own bodyguard while Bhatti, Pakistan’s only Christian cabinet minister, was killed by the Pakistani Taliban.

Even after the Supreme Court cleared Bibi of all charges, nationwide protests by Islamic hardliners forced her family into hiding before they eventually found asylum in Canada.

Government draws red lines

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government has made clear that while it will make symbolic concessions to preserve European trade benefits, it will not touch blasphemy laws that remain sacred to the country’s Islamic identity.

Following European Parliament resolutions condemning Pakistan’s blasphemy laws in 2021, then-Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government declared it would “not compromise on the country’s blasphemy law.” It argued that Pakistan’s agreements with the EU “did not include any condition concerning religion.”

The current government maintains this position. During a January visit to Pakistan, EU Special Representative for Human Rights Ambassador Olof Skoog warned that Pakistan “should not take its GSP+ status for granted” and highlighted concerns about blasphemy law abuse. Yet Pakistani officials continue to insist that religious laws remain beyond European influence.

European response falls short

The European Union’s response to Pakistan’s selective compliance has been characteristically diplomatic but ineffective at protecting religious minorities. While European Parliament members have repeatedly called for reviews of Pakistan’s trade status over blasphemy law abuse, the European Commission has maintained the country’s preferential trading relationship.

In 2021, the European Parliament adopted a resolution with 678 votes calling for immediate review of Pakistan’s GSP+ status over blasphemy laws, expressing particular concern about Christian couple Shagufta Kausar and Shafqat Emmanuel, who were sentenced to death on blasphemy charges. Yet Pakistan retained its trade benefits.

The 10th EU-Pakistan Political Dialogue held in Brussels this July saw both sides “reaffirm their commitment to deepening cooperation” despite what European officials acknowledge is “growing scrutiny over Pakistan’s human rights record.”

Rising persecution goes unchecked

Christian advocates report that blasphemy cases continue to rise in Pakistan despite European pressure. “Unfortunately, blasphemy cases continue to rise, and during this year alone, at least five Christians have been charged with committing blasphemy,” said Nasir Saeed of the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance, and Settlement.

The legal system remains stacked against religious minorities. “The whole burden of proof is laid on the victim to prove himself/herself innocent, and court hearings are very often adjourned,” Saeed explained. “As a result, victims of this law have to suffer several years in prison, sometimes longer than their punishment.”

Several Christians remain imprisoned for years on blasphemy charges, including Sajjad Masih (nine years) and Zafar Bhatti (eight years). In comparison, others like Sawan Maish and Imran Ghafur Masih were released only after serving eight and 11 years, respectively.

Economic calculations override faith

Pakistan’s approach to the GSP+ requirements reveals a government willing to make minimal adjustments to preserve economic benefits while refusing to address the core issues that endanger religious minorities. The death penalty amendments target two crimes that are rarely prosecuted, allowing Pakistan to claim reform while maintaining the broader system of religious persecution.

According to Justice Project Pakistan’s 2024 report, the country handed down 174 death sentences last year — a significant increase from 102 in 2023 — with 6,161 prisoners currently on death row nationwide.

The GSP+ scheme has been extended until 2027, but European officials conduct reviews every two years. The upcoming renewal cycle will test whether Europe’s commitment to trade benefits outweighs its stated concerns for religious freedom and minority rights.

For Pakistan’s embattled Christian community, the recent death penalty amendments offer no relief from the blasphemy laws that continue to threaten their lives and freedom.

As long as European trade policy prioritizes economic relationships over religious liberty, Pakistani Christians will remain vulnerable to a justice system that treats their faith as grounds for persecution.

Source: catholicnewsagency.com, Thomas Philipp Reiter, August 2, 2025

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

— Oscar Wilde

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