United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed a desire to see former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s current situation “evolve in a much more positive way,” according to his spokesperson.

During a press conference, when asked about the UN chief’s stance on the United Nations rights group’s recommendation for Imran Khan’s immediate release, his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric stated: “It’s a recommendation from an independent panel. We want to see the current political situation, the current situation of Mr Khan, evolve in a much more positive way.”

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which investigates cases of deprivation of liberty by governments, recently declared the cases against Imran Khan “without legal basis” and politically motivated to exclude him from the political arena. The panel recommended his release and compensation, marking the second international disapproval of the government’s actions against Khan and his political party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), within a week.

This follows a US resolution urging Pakistan to investigate allegations of irregularities in the February 8 elections.

Khan’s arrest internal matter of Pakistan, says law minister after UN panel’s report

However, on Tuesday, the Pakistani government and its allies rejected the UN working group’s recommendations concerning Imran Khan’s detention, labelling it a “conspiracy against the institutions.”

Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar dismissed the working group’s non-binding recommendations, stating that Imran’s detention was an “internal matter” and that legal actions were taken in accordance with the Constitution and prevailing laws.