UK parliamentarians demand Imran Khan's immediate release

• Meherbano Qureshi, Jahanzeb Khan attend hearing in UK.
• "I have always spoken for Pakistan," says MP Naz Shah.
• Hearing held on “illegal incarceration” of PTI founder.
  

LONDON: Nearly two dozen UK members of parliament have called for the immediate release of Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan, currently imprisoned in Adiala jail with his wife Bushra Begum.

The demand for Khan’s release was made at a hearing today in the House of Lord's Committee Room about the erosion of democratic norms in Pakistan and the “illegal incarceration” of the former prime minister. The hearing was jointly convened by Labour MP for Bradford West Naz Shah, and Conservative Peer Lord Hannan of Kingsclere. 

Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari, who was appointed Imran Khan’s International Affairs Adviser today, and PTI candidate in the 2024 Pakistani general election Meher Bano Qureshi were guest speakers, as was Sarwar Bari, founder of Pattan Development.

This hearing was attended by over 22 parliamentarians from all major parties, including the former Leader of the Conservative Party and Cabinet Minister Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP, the former Home Secretary Priti Patel MP, former Security Minister Baroness Neville-Jones, former Minister of State in the Foreign Office Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon and former Conservative Party Chairwoman and Foreign Office Minister Baroness Warsi. Newly elected independent MPs Shockat Adam, Barrister Ayoub Khan, Iqbal Mohammad and Labour’s Naushabah Khan were also in attendance. 

PTI UK’s leader Jahanzeb Khan was also in attendance as well as four other office bearers.

The hearing resolved that parliamentarians will call on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy for the UK government to take note of the recent United Nations report into former prime minister Imran Khan's incarceration, demand his immediate release and the return of democracy to Pakistan.

Bukhari spoke for ten minutes and gave a rundown of what has happened since the removal of Khan from power in April 2022. He alleged that this year’s February elections were massively rigged and that there are fears Khan may be tried in the military courts. 

He said: “Pakistanis deserve the right to self-determination. The current government of Pakistan is illegitimate and the world needs to be aware of the atrocities committed by the government of Pakistan against freedom and democracy over the past two years. I welcome that leading parliamentarians from the UK are now calling for the return of democratic norms in Pakistan.”

He told the meeting that PTI’s former social media lead Azhar Mashwani was also set to attend the meeting as a “victim” of the state but he received a call from his abducted brother’s phone, warning him that his other family members will be taken away too if he joined the meeting. He alleged that hundreds of PTI workers remain abducted and missing.

Meher Bano spoke for nearly 17 minutes, narrating the difficulties she and PTI candidates faced in general elections. 

She said: “It has been disappointing [to see] the eerie silence from Western democracies, we would have expected they would stand up for democracy in Pakistan. It is wonderful to have these platitudes about being resilient and brave. I don’t want to be resilient or brave, nor do the people of Pakistan, we all just want to be free. Free to choose what political party we support, free to choose what political party we contest the elections from, and free to our representatives. We want our voices to be heard and our votes to be counted.”

She said the last general elections were a farce and her father Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the former foreign minister, was being punished for siding with Imran Khan. She said the basis of the whole cipher case was to intimidate and cajole Khan and Qureshi into submission through draconian means.

Lord Hannan of Kingsclere said: “As friends of Pakistan and friends of Pakistani democracy, we want to see that country prosper. We want to see the UN’s recommendations implemented, including an end to the detention of Imran Khan and a timetable for free and inclusive elections. We will continue to press for democracy on a cross-party basis, and in both parliamentary chambers. And we will link up with parliamentarians in other friendly countries to make the case internationally.”

Naz said the hearing on Pakistan was a “pro-Pakistan” event. She regretted that some people had called it “an event against Pakistan”. She said that she decided to get involved in the event to become the voice of a significant section of Pakistanis who wanted Khan’s release and wanted an end to all kinds of political incriminations.

She said: “Important dialogue was held in parliament today in relation to democracy in Pakistan. As somebody with a large Pakistani constituency and as an MP of Pakistani heritage, I want to see Pakistan succeed; particularly democracy in Pakistan, as well as freedom of the press, and justice. The UN report into the incarceration of Imran Khan should be of great concern to all of us. We cannot shy away from it and we must continue to work across parliament to ensure progress is made for Pakistan.”

Naz said that she has always spoken for media freedoms and human rights. “I did so under Imran Khan’s government. I have always spoken for Pakistan, on the issue of Kashmir and Gaza and I will continue doing that.”