In a major development, dozens of US lawmakers have called on President Joe Biden to advocate for the immediate release of former prime minister Imran Khan and all other political prisoners in the country and ensure their safety in line with the findings of the UN Working Group report.
In a letter to outgoing President Biden, as many as 46 members of the Congress on Friday urged him to take steps to act on the provisions of “H. Res. 901”, which was passed by the US House of Representatives by an overwhelming margin.
Sharing the letter on its official X handle, the PTI said: “46 members of the US House of Representatives, including members from both the Republican and Democratic parties, have written a letter to President Joe Biden calling for urgent action for the release of Imran Khan.”
It further said that the letter, jointly led by Susan Wild and John James, criticises the role of the US Ambassador Donald Blome and his failure to “incorporate the concerns of the Pakistani American community in its work including meaningfully advocating for the release of political prisoners, the restoration of human rights, or respect for democratic principles.”
In their letter to the president, the US lawmakers, while referring to the provision of H. Res. 901, said that the legislation brought together Democrats and Republicans in support of a change in US policy —focusing on escalating human rights violations and erosion of civil liberties in Pakistan in the aftermath of the “flawed” February 2024 elections.
“These elections were characterised by widespread irregularities, electoral fraud, and state-led suppression of the country’s leading party, PTI — including disenfranchising the party in the leadup to the vote, as well as reversing precinct-level results, which showed an overwhelming victory for PTI-associated independent candidates.”
Since the elections, the situation has worsened — with “rampant curbs” on civil liberties, particularly on freedom of expression, read the letter.
The US lawmakers also expressed their disappointment over “use of mass arrests, arbitrary detention, and the implementation of a de facto firewall against social media platforms, with reports of broader efforts to slow internet access speeds”.
“A focal point of our concern is the unlawful detention of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, widely perceived to be Pakistan’s most popular political figure.”
Many activists associated with the PTI, including senior party leaders such as Yasmin Rashid and Shah Mehmood Qureshi, have been in detention for over a year, it added.
The lawmakers said: “Given these alarming developments, we believe a change of approach at the US Embassy in Islamabad is urgently needed.”
The lawmakers further said that they were unaware of any efforts by the US embassy to incorporate the concerns of the Pakistani American community in its work — including meaningfully advocating for the release of political prisoners, the restoration of human rights, or respect for democratic principles.
