FAISALABAD: Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers & Exporters Association (PHMA) has warned that the proposed India–European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA) could seriously undermine Pakistan’s textile and hosiery exports to the European market.
PHMA Senior Vice Chairman (North), Ahmed Afzal Awan, urged the Prime Minister to take immediate notice of the issue and adopt urgent measures to protect Pakistan’s export interests in the EU.
He said that although Pakistan currently enjoys duty-free access under the GSP+ scheme, the competitive playing field would remain uneven if India secured similar tariff concessions through an FTA. Pakistan’s GSP+ status, he noted, is subject to strict compliance with 27 international conventions covering human rights, labour standards, environment, and governance, which significantly increase costs for exporters.
In contrast, he added, India would not face comparable ongoing compliance obligations under an FTA.
Awan stressed that tariff parity alone does not ensure competitiveness, particularly given Pakistan’s high cost of production.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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