Dozens of US lawmakers seek pressure on Pakistan to free ex-Premier Imran Khan

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) - Over 60 lawmakers of the US Congress have urged President Joe Biden to pressure Pakistan to release all political prisoners, including incarcerated 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 which the later rejected and called false allegations.

The lawmakers urged Biden to use the US substantial leverage with Pakistan’s government to secure the release of political prisoners, including Khan, and curtail widespread human rights abuses.

"What accounts for the delay in announcing visa bans and/or asset freezes for Pakistani elites engaged in human rights abuses, and what is the timeline for these decisions," the lawmakers asked from President Biden in their letter.

They also sought action from the US against those Pakistani officials who violated democratic principles and human rights in the country.

Khan, 72, however, 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. His party accused the government of imposing a ban on Khan's meetings with his lawyers and family members since Oct. 3.

On Thursday, Islamabad High Court sought physical presence of Imran Khan, ordering police to produce the former prime minister before it later in the afternoon.

The former cricket star was ousted from power through a no-confidence vote in April 2022.