US lawmakers urge President Biden to 'advocate for immediate release of Imran Khan'

• US lawmakers call for release of political prisoners in Pakistan.
• They show concerns over “use of mass arrests, arbitrary detention”.
• "Since Feb 8 elections, situation has ‘worsened’ in Pakistan."
  

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 majority in June this year.

Pakistan had denounced the resolution, saying it “stems from an incomplete understanding of the political situation and electoral process in Pakistan”.

Sharing the letter on its official X handle today, 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”.

The lawmakers said a focal point of their concern is the unlawful detention of former prime minister Imran Khan — who has been incarcerated since August last year in multiple cases ranging from corruption to terrorism —  "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. 

Last month, as many as 60 members of the US House of Representatives had written a letter to the president, calling on him to use Washington's leverage with Islamabad for the release of Khan.

In their letter, the Democratic lawmakers had urged President Biden to prioritise human rights in US policy towards Pakistan.

"We write today to urge you to use the United States' substantial leverage with Pakistan's government to secure the release of political prisoners including former Prime Minister Khan and curtail widespread human rights abuses," the lawmakers had said.

The letter marked the first such collective call from multiple members of the US Congress for the release of Imran, who otherwise has had testy relations with Washington as a long-standing critic of US foreign policy, according to US Representative Greg Casar, who led the letter.

‘Last nail in Haqiqi Azadi’s coffin’

PPP Senator Sherry Rehman termed the letter of US lawmakers to their president another nail in the coffin of “Haqiqi Azadi” (real freedom) — a reference to the PTI’s rhetoric calling for independent foreign policy.

“PTI is continuously inviting foreign intervention for the release of PTI founder,” she added.

The letter written by members of the US Congress was a clear interference in Pakistan's internal affairs, she said, adding that the move was against international norms.

“The letter challenges the independence of Pakistan's political system and judiciary,” she added.

The PPP senator said that PTI’s lobbying efforts against Pakistan in the US were also condemnable.

Referring to the PTI’s allegations that US engineered Imran’s ouster from power in April 2022, Rehman said the former ruling party played politics on the narrative of "US intervention" in the past. The PPP leader slammed the Khan-founded party for adopting dual standards.

Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon was of the view that the lawmakers’ letter contradicted PTI’s narrative, adding that the former ruling party had hired lobbying firms in the US.

Their lobbyist has the sole moto — the release of Khan. He said the party was making all-out efforts to intervene in Pakistan’s internal affairs via foreign countries. The PTI is trying to put pressure on Islamabad, the PPP leader added.