Implementing law, growing exports

EDITORIAL: The Senate’s passage of a bill to limit the death penalty in line with GSP+ requirements may have raised a few eyebrows, but it is a necessary and long-overdue step. For too long, Pakistan has failed to match the rhetoric of economic reform with actual, difficult decisions. If GSP+ demands limiting capital punishment to only the most serious crimes, then that’s exactly what must be done; no matter how polarising the conversation.

Exports are not optional. They are a lifeline. Without sustained export growth, Pakistan will keep returning to the IMF, and keep falling further behind its peers. And yet, after all the slogans, special economic zones, policy incentives, and handshakes with trade partners, exports remain stubbornly stagnant. The only thing worse than not being able to grow exports, is not being able to meet conditions that allow access to markets at all.

That’s why compliance with the GSP+ framework matters more than ideological grandstanding. It is not Pakistan’s prerogative to tell the European Union how to frame human rights laws. Nor should dissenting lawmakers presume they can afford to miss export quotas on the pretext of domestic legal interpretations. The real question is whether Pakistan can protect its citizens without inviting international scrutiny for overreach in criminal justice.

Besides, the argument that crime is deterred by harsher punishment has been debunked the world over. Pakistan is not the only country to have had a public flogging era, or a time of blanket capital punishments. And yet its conviction rates remain abysmally low, with most violent criminals never brought to justice. If the point is deterrence, then it is implementation — not escalation — that delivers results. Laws are only as effective as their enforcement, and that is where Pakistan falls short.

Look no further than the seafood export sector. It just posted its highest-ever volume, but still fell short of the $500 million mark — again. That revenue target has eluded the country for more than a decade now, despite the industry’s tireless efforts and policy-level support. Market access limitations, quality control gaps, and regulatory bottlenecks continue to hold it back. These are issues of execution, not intention.

The same holds true for the country’s overall export base. Textiles remain too import-dependent, IT exports are throttled by inconsistent policies, and agricultural exporters face market access issues tied to sanitary and phytosanitary standards. Most of these challenges are solvable; if the government focuses more on execution and less on optics.

Complying with GSP+ rules isn’t just about pleasing the EU; it is about positioning Pakistan as a responsible, rules-based member of the global economy. That credibility cannot be built with rhetoric or nationalist defiance. It requires institutional commitment, legal alignment, and the maturity to treat external trade as a strategic priority, not a bargaining chip.

Lawmakers opposing the amendment would do well to remember that this is not about letting criminals off easy. It is about taking international obligations seriously so the country can keep what little trade leverage it still holds. If those obligations require reframing certain laws to reflect international norms, so be it.

Pakistan’s economy doesn’t have the luxury of ideological detours anymore. Export-led growth is the only sustainable path forward. And access to premium markets, especially those with preferential trade frameworks, must be protected at all costs. The sooner we realise this, the better our chances of ever breaking out of the low-growth, high-debt trap.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025