PTI seeks UN intervention over govt 'crackdown'

Mazari urges UN to oppose govt's decision denying PTI right to 'peaceful protest'

ISLAMABAD:

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) sought on Wednesday the intervention of the United Nations against the alleged harassment by the federal government of the PTI workers and leadership and “politically motivated” cases against the former ruling party.

In a letter written to the High Commissioner for Human Rights by PTI leader and former human rights minister Shireen Mazari, the party led by Imran Khan demanded “independent and impartial investigations into these state excesses and human rights violations”.

By “state excesses”, the PTI meant the crackdown by the police ahead of the long march on May 25 and the use of tear gas and baton-charge by the police on the day of the march.

Mazari has also requested the UN official to “take urgent notice of the issues raised as they not only threatened democracy in Pakistan but also the lives of former PM Khan, his party leadership…and intervene on these with the government of Pakistan”.

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The PTI also asked the UN to intervene to end “harassment of the PTI” members and save them from “political” cases against them. It also demanded that the government stop censorship of the media as this was a “violation of basic democratic norms and of the ICCPR to which Pakistan is a party”.

It urged the UN to stop the government of Pakistan from “denying the right to peaceful protest through repressive measures”.

The letter by Mazari came a day after PM Shehbaz Sharif formed a committee to investigate the claims made by PTI leaders that they carried weapons during the long march on May 25.

A few days ago, the PTI chief had conceded that some participants of his “Haqeeqi Azadi March” were armed.