TWO recent news reports have highlighted foreign concerns about the state of human and labour rights in the country. The United States Trade Representative recently deemed that Pakistan has not enforced prohibitions against forced labour ‘effectively’. Separately, the European Union has pushed Islamabad to show ‘measurable progress’ on human and labour rights, as well as governance reforms. Pakistan trades extensively with both the US and the EU and is therefore exposed to the terms of engagement they have set for countries wishing to access their markets. Those terms include ensuring higher standards of........

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