LONDON: A large group of British parliamentarians at a ceremony called for the immediate release of Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan as well as other political prisoners accused of violence and chaos in the country on May 9 and November 26. is facing Thursday at Portcullis House.
The event was organized by a newly formed Friends of Democratic Pakistan-UK (FODP), organized by Safina Faisal, who said she took the initiative to highlight issues including “peaceful Killings of protesters, enforced disappearances, and arbitrary arrests include political activists, women, and journalists demanding military trials of civilians and an end to democracy.
The event was chaired by James Frith MP (Labour Party) and addressed by former Khan cabinet minister Zulfi Bukhari, former accountability chief Shahzad Akbar, Lord Daniel Hannan and some activists who stood up for the Pakistan Movement. Alleged violation of their rights. -Justice (PTI)
MPs attending the event include Andrew Pax (Labour), Naz Shah (Labour), Jeremy Corbyn (Independent), Paul Waugh (Labour), James Esser (Labour), Kate Dearden (Labour), Joss Athwal (Labour). , Gurendra was involved. Joseon (Labour), Margaret Mullen (Labour), Warinder Jose (Labour), Adnan Hussain (Independent), Preet Kaur (Labour), Ayub Khan (Independent) and Iqbal Mohammad (Independent).
Azhar Mashwani and Khan’s nephew Sher Shah also attended the event. However, he did not address the gathering.
Faisal of Friends of Democratic Pakistan demanded accountability of establishment figures from various institutions for alleged violations of international laws.
Bukhari, former advisor to PTI founder and cabinet minister, claimed that hundreds of people were killed during PTI protests in Islamabad in November.
He said that the UN Working Group report has clearly stated that Khan’s detention is illegal and he is facing inhumane conditions in the jail.
“Since April 2022, violence is being used as a weapon to break our party. Hundreds of our workers, legislators and leaders are in jails and have been subjected to torture,” he said.
Bukhari added, “Azam Swati and Shahbaz Gul are two examples. They were tortured in broad daylight because they were close to Khan and they “Intimate videos were used against our politicians to blackmail them and break them,” Bukhari added. said
“His wife was put in jail. She may not have been poisoned,” Bukhari claimed. But she was given insufficient food to cause major health problems for her. Things became so difficult for her at home that she went to court with Imran Khan to torture her His house was completely sealed.”
While Akbar said in his address that Pakistan’s democracy has been “always compromised”.
“International coercion should concern UK MPs as it relates to British citizens. I am a victim of this coercion. When I moved to the UK, my brother was kidnapped and after the intervention of my UK MP “Many overseas Pakistanis saw their family members kidnapped,” he said.
“This is about the destruction and collapse of an entire democratic system. Rigged before and after to steal the mandate of the people. The aim was to introduce new amendments to change the nature and structure of the Judiciary. Judges were abducted and Blackmailed.” ” he said.
“All this was done to hand over the system to the decision makers. Military courts would not have been possible without the 26th amendment and what is happening now is for all to see. In today’s Pakistan, the judiciary is dead. ” said the former minister.
Lord Hannan said Khan’s PTI won the 2023 elections “by a landslide” but every effort was made to prevent the party from forming a government at the Centre.
“Pakistanis are effectively living under martial law. The killings in Islamabad have been on a different scale. You cannot remain indifferent to the agony of democracy in a friendly country. We must raise our voice because there are 1.5 million Pakistanis.” are directly affected by what is happening in Pakistan,” Hanan said.
He said that sanctions do not work against states but only if they are targeted and against specific, designated individuals involved in human rights violations.
At the end of the session, the forum stressed the demands of the government of Pakistan for “restoration of the independence of the judiciary” and the release of all political prisoners, targeted sanctions on officials responsible for human rights violations, independent international investigations into the suppression of peaceful protests. gave This includes raising concerns about the role, investigation and international coercion, prompt publication of the Commonwealth Election Observation Report, and ensuring the transparency and fairness of trials.
The hearing follows a similar meeting last summer, where UK MPs debated the detention of former prime minister Khan, whose arrest sparked mass protests.
A heated argument broke out outside the venue between the organizers of the event and a group of journalists.
Protesting journalists were denied entry to the event and told that their names were not approved for coverage.