Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday welcomed the European Union (EU) Monitoring Mission visiting Karachi as part of the 5th Biennial Review of the GSP+ scheme, reaffirming the Sindh government\u2019s strong commitment to human rights, labour rights, governance, environmental protection and social development.The seven-member EU delegation was led by Mr Sirgio Baliberia, Advisor to the GSP+ Directorate in the Directorate General Trade. Federal Secretary of Commerce Jod Paul also attended the meeting. From the Sindh side, provincial ministers Saeed Ghani and Syed Zia-ul-Hasan Lanjar, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, IG Police Ghulam Nabi Memon, Home Secretary Iqbal Memon, Secretary to CM Abdul Raheem Shaikh, Law Secretary Ahmed Ali Baloch, Human Rights Secretary Khalid Chachar and other senior officials were present.Human rights, labour rights, minorities\u2019 protection and social welfare:The meeting featured extensive discussions on human rights, minority rights – including transgender protections – labour inspections, workplace safety, child rights, climate change and energy transition. The EU delegation appreciated Sindh\u2019s efforts, particularly in the domains of human rights protections, minority welfare, social safeguards, and institutional reforms.\u201cThe human rights and minority protection measures taken by the Sindh government are encouraging,\u201d Mr Sirgio Baliberia remarked.CM highlights strategic importance of EU partnership and GSP+:Welcoming the delegation, the Chief Minister described the EU as a long-standing partner in promoting rights-based governance. \u201cOur partnership with the European Union is extremely important. The GSP+ arrangement is vital for Pakistan\u2019s exports, sustainable development and institutional reforms,\u201d Mr Shah said.Murad Shah noted that Pakistan is currently undergoing the 5th Biennial Review of GSP+, and Sindh is fully coordinating with the Ministry of Commerce and federal institutions. \u201cThe detailed responses submitted to the European Commission reflect a joint effort of federal and provincial governments,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Sindh\u2019s Treaty Implementation Cell:The Chief Minister highlighted the active role of the Sindh Treaty Implementation Cell (TIC) in ensuring compliance with all 27 international conventions tied to the GSP+ scheme. He welcomed the EU Mission\u2019s decision to visit the provincial TIC office during their Karachi trip, terming it \u201ca positive opportunity for direct engagement and assessment.\u201dSindh as Pakistan\u2019s export hub; need for continuation of GSP+:Chief Minister Murad Shah emphasised that Sindh is the country\u2019s primary export hub, with key industries including textiles, leather, fisheries and manufacturing. \u201cThe continuation of GSP+ is essential for job creation, women\u2019s economic empowerment, SME support and poverty reduction,\u201d he said.He urged the EU to avoid \u201coverly stringent conditions\u201d in the next GSP+ framework, adding that Pakistan would welcome capacity-building and technical support from the EU.EU delegation lauds Sindh\u2019s reforms and progress:The EU team praised Sindh\u2019s progress in labour rights, women\u2019s rights and transgender protections.Briefings shared with the delegation included:Human Rights and Social Justice: The EU delegation was told that the Sindh Human Rights Commission received 491 complaints from 2023\u201325, resolving 50 per cent and disposing 62 suo motu cases. Regular meetings of the provincial steering committee ensure oversight.2,000 police officers trained under the Torture and Custodial Death Act 2022. 1,356 women-related violence cases active in courts, with 154 convictions, reflecting strengthened access to justice. 33 minority protection police desks established; 403 places of worship restored. A dedicated Journalists\u2019 Protection Commission has resolved 41 cases.Women\u2019s Empowerment & Transgender Inclusion: The chief minister said that 600,000 flood-affected homes have been registered in women\u2019s names – \u201ca historic step in empowerment,\u201d he said. He added that Pink buses, vocational training and a 15 per cent quota in government jobs for women are major steps.Local council seats and a 0.5 per cent job quota are reserved for the transgender community.Labour Rights and Inspections: Murad Shah said that there is no compromise on labour rights, the CM said. Sindh Labour Department conducted 18,397 labour inspections in 2025, identifying 1,936 violations, with 1,446 penalties imposed.Sindh\u2019s labour monitoring is `twice as rigorous as ILO standards.\u2019Drug Rehabilitation: Under the Sindh Control of Narcotics Substances Act 2024, 3,600 drug dependents were rehabilitated, Murad Shah said. He added that good governance and Anti-Corruption are top priorities.\u00a0The EU acknowledged Sindh\u2019s progress on modern governance. \u201cAn online anti-corruption system is active; 154 officers are trained in modern investigation tools,\u201d the CM said.Climate Change and Clean Energy: Discussing Mangrove cover increased from 160,000 hectares (2010) to 265,000 hectares (2025). 39 renewable energy projects are operational across Sindh.Government schools, health centres and offices are being rapidly solarised. The CM said Sindh\u2019s climate response serves as a \u201cmodel for Pakistan,\u201d the meeting noted.Child Protection and Special Education: Murad Shah said that the Child labour rate dropped from 20.6 per cent to 10.3 per cent in the 2025 Child Labour Survey.The CM said that 5,700 children with autism are enrolled at CRUs; 4,190 students are enrolled in 66 special education centres.Social Sector Investment:The CM disclosed that Sindh\u2019s social sector budget increased from Rs 899 billion to Rs 1,283 billion over three years.The EU delegation praised the province\u2019s swift climate actions, clean energy initiatives and child rights reforms, terming them \u201cpositive and impactful\u201d.The meeting ended with a comprehensive review of ongoing and future GSP+-related initiatives. The Chief Minister expressed confidence that ongoing reforms, institutional coordination and constructive engagement with the EU will ensure a successful 5th Biennial Review.\u201cWe are grateful for the EU\u2019s trust. Sindh has delivered measurable results across all sectors and remains committed to transparent, effective and rights-based governance,\u201d Shah concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday welcomed the European Union (EU) Monitoring Mission visiting Karachi as part of the 5th Biennial Review of the GSP+ scheme, reaffirming the Sindh government\u2019s strong commitment to human rights, labour rights, governance, environmental protection and social development.The seven-member EU delegation was led by Mr Sirgio Baliberia, …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[63],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-63"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/baldiyattimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54197","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/baldiyattimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/baldiyattimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baldiyattimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baldiyattimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=54197"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/baldiyattimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54197\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54199,"href":"https:\/\/baldiyattimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54197\/revisions\/54199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/baldiyattimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=54197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baldiyattimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=54197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baldiyattimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=54197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}