LONDON: Twenty cross-party British parliamentarians have urged UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy MP to contact the Pakistani government and demand Imran Khan’s release from Adiala Jail.
On the request of Imran Khan’s adviser on international affairs, Zulfi Bukhari, the letter was written by Liverpool Riverside MP Kim Johnson and signed by members of both the Commons and the Lords from all parties.
The signers include: Paula Barker, Apsana Begum, Rosie Duffield, Paulette Hamilton, Peter Lamb, Andy McDonald, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Zarah Sultana, Steve Witherden, Nadia Whittome, Baroness Joan Bakewell, Baroness Christine Blower, Lord Peter Hain, Lord John Hendy, and Lord Todoanfel are all MPs.
It reads, ” We are writing with deep concern regarding the ongoing detention of Imran Khan, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan. As you are aware, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention determined that Mr. Khan was detained in 2023 in the following manner: had no legal foundation and appears to have been designed to prevent him from running for office. As a result, that prosecution lacked legal foundation and was reportedly carried out for political gain from the beginning.”
In the letter to Lammy, it read: Consequently, Mr. Khan’s ongoing detention poses a serious threat to the country’s democracy. In fact, there has been speculation that a military court will probably decide his fate, which would be a worrying and totally illegal escalation. Amnesty International has discovered that there has been “a pattern of weaponization of the legal system to keep Imran Khan under detention and away from all political activity” following a recent review of Mr. Khan’s case.
They have also noticed that Khan has not been given enough time or resources to prepare his defense in at least three trials. “consistent with a pattern of misuse of the justice system in Pakistan to intimidate, harass and target political opposition leaders – while infringing upon the enshrined independence of the judiciary,” according to the number of cases against the jailed PTI founder.
In addition, it stated that the 26th Constitutional Amendment, which was recently ratified, would delegate Supreme Court authority over matters involving federal and provincial governments and political parties. The country’s Constitution’s separation of powers principle would be violated as a result of this.
It continues: Meanwhile, Mr. Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Party has been the target of additional anti-democratic measures in recent weeks, which have resulted in the detention of prominent activists and parliamentarians. Regardless of acquiring earlier consent to hold a meeting in Islamabad, apparently Pakistani specialists unreasonably summoned another Public Request Act to keep PTI allies.
“The political precedent this is setting is dangerous, and parliamentarians in this House will agree. As a result, Mr. Khan needs to be released from pre-trial detention right away. We are obligated as a nation to defend democracy, international law, and human rights everywhere. As a result, we urge you to contact the Pakistani government to get Mr. Khan’s safe release.
