Dozens of US lawmakers seek pressure on Pakistan to free ex-PM Imran Khan
ISLAMABAD (AA) – More than 60 lawmakers have urged President Joe Biden to pressure Pakistan to release all political prisoners, including former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
In a detailed letter addressed to Biden on Wednesday, the lawmakers expressed concerns over human rights situation in the South Asian country and said the elections held early this year saw a “historic level of irregularities.”
“The elections saw a historic level of irregularities, including widespread electoral fraud, state-led efforts to disenfranchise voters in support of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice or PTI) party, the arrest and detention of large numbers of political leaders, journalists, and activists, and the continued imprisonment of former Prime Minister Imran Khan,” it said.
The PTI has also accused the country’s election authority of rigging and changing the results. The election commission has rejected the allegations.
The lawmakers urged Biden to use the US’s substantial leverage with Pakistan’s government to secure the release of political prisoners.
They also sought action from the US against those Pakistani officials who violated democratic principles and human rights in the country.
Khan, 72, is currently jailed in Rawalpindi and seeking bail in multiple cases ranging from corruption to terrorism, all of which he denies. Courts have already set aside two of his convictions and suspended a third.
The former cricket star was ousted from power through a no-confidence vote in April 2022.
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