Around two dozen members of the UK Parliament called for the immediate release of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is currently imprisoned in Adiala Jail along with his wife, Bushra Bibi on Tuesday.
This call to action came during a hearing in the House of Lords Committee Room, which addressed the erosion of democratic norms in Pakistan and the “illegal incarceration” of Khan.
The hearing was attended by over 22 parliamentarians from major political parties in the UK. The session was jointly organized by Labour MP Naz Shah from Bradford West and Conservative Peer Lord Hannan of Kingsclere.
The parliamentarians resolved to urge UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy to take action. They called on the UK government to heed the recent United Nations report on Khan’s incarceration, demand his immediate release, and advocate for the restoration of democracy in Pakistan.
The hearing reflects the growing international concern over the political situation in Pakistan and the treatment of Khan.
The hearing also featured several guest speakers, including Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari, who was recently appointed as Imran Khan’s International Affairs Adviser, and Meher Bano Qureshi, a candidate for Khan’s political party, the PTI, in the upcoming 2024 Pakistani general election. Sarwar Bari, the founder of Pattan Development, also addressed the gathering.
Bukhari, speaking at the hearing, recounted the events following Imran Khan’s ouster as Prime Minister in April 2022. He alleged that the February 2023 elections in Pakistan were heavily rigged. Bukhari also expressed concerns that Khan might face trial in military courts.
The inclusion of these speakers, who are closely associated with Imran Khan and his political party, underscores the depth of support for the former Prime Minister within the UK Parliament and the desire to address the perceived injustices he has faced in Pakistan.
“Pakistanis deserve the right to self-determination. The current government is illegitimate, and the world needs to be aware of the atrocities committed against freedom and democracy over the past two years,” Bukhari stated.
Bukhari also mentioned that the former social media lead for Imran Khan’s PTI party, Azhar Mashwani, was supposed to attend the meeting as a “victim” of state repression in Pakistan. However, Bukhari claimed that Mashwani was threatened with the abduction of his remaining family members if he participated. Bukhari further alleged that hundreds of PTI workers remain abducted and missing.
A PTI candidate for the 2024 Pakistani general election, Meher Bano Qureshi, also detailed the challenges faced by her party’s candidates. She criticized the “eerie silence” from Western democracies regarding the political situation in Pakistan, stating: “We all just want to be free—to choose our political party, contest elections, and have our votes counted.” Qureshi added that her father, former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, was being punished for supporting Imran Khan, and described the “cipher case” as a means to intimidate and coerce them.
Lord Hannan of Kingsclere, who co-organized the hearing, emphasized the need for implementing the UN’s recommendations, including ending Imran Khan’s detention and setting a timetable for free and inclusive elections in Pakistan. He remarked that “as friends of Pakistan and its democracy, we want to see the country prosper.”
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