Former NA Speaker Asad Qaiser to Head PTI’s “Human Rights Committee,” Notification States
Date: January 17, 2025
PTI has formed a 12-member committee to highlight human rights concerns on an international scale, just hours after party founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were convicted in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case.
According to a notification issued by PTI Additional Secretary General Firdous Shamim Naqvi, former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser will lead the “Human Rights Committee.”
Other members of the committee include Qasim Khan Suri, Zulfi Bukhari, Aliya Hamza, Raoof Hasan, and others. The committee will address human rights issues within the country, the notification read.
It is notable that the 71-year-old cricketer-turned-politician has been incarcerated since August 2024 after being sentenced in the Toshakhana case-I, one of the many cases filed against him since his removal from power in April 2022.
Since the former prime minister’s ouster, PTI has been vocal about alleged political victimization, mandate theft, “illegal” detentions, and “human rights violations.”
Last week, Khan’s lawyer claimed that an international parliamentary body decided to send its representative to observe the trials against the PTI founder.
Lawyer Khalid Yousuf Chaudhry stated that he briefed an official from the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) about the cases, after which the IPU decided to dispatch a trial observer.
The IPU, of which Pakistan is a member, promotes parliamentary diplomacy and empowers parliamentarians to foster peace, democracy, and sustainable development globally.
Chaudhry said the IPU representative was informed about judicial proceedings in the £190 million case and the Toshakhana cases, highlighting legal and constitutional flaws.
Additionally, the events of May 9 and the GHQ case were also discussed. In November 2023, an IPU observer was denied permission to visit Adiala Jail.
Last month, the US, UK, and EU criticized military courts for sentencing civilians linked to the May 9, 2023, attacks on military facilities following the arrest of the jailed ex-premier.
Meanwhile, Aleema Khan, sister of the imprisoned former prime minister, threatened on January 10 to approach international forums over the cases against Khan.
Speaking outside Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, Aleema Khan stated, “We are left with no option but to take this matter internationally.”
Last year, a UN human rights working group declared Khan’s detention arbitrary and against international law, stating the “appropriate remedy would be to release Khan immediately and provide enforceable compensation in line with international standards.”
