World leaders urged to stop ‘political genocide’ in Pakistan

Qaiser pens letters to EU, US, UK, global human rights bodies to take notice govt actions

ISLAMABAD:

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has sent letters to the European Union, the US House of Representatives, the British House of Lords and international human rights organisations, asking them to take notice of the attack on its Chairman Imran Khan as well as violence against parliamentarians and activists.

On behalf of the PTI, former National Assembly speaker and part leader Asad Qaiser has sent letters to the US House of Representatives, House of Lords, EU, IPU, CPA and human rights organisations, asking them to take notice of the violence against MPs and workers by the government and adopt measures to stop it. An appeal has been made to take notice and play a role against the government's actions.

In the letters, Qaiser has said that as a former speaker, “I want to bring awareness of human rights violations in Pakistan”.

“The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf is the most popular political party in the country, but after political horse-trading, it decided on a fresh mandate and resigned from the house.”

He said in the letters that the caretaker governments in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab committed severe human rights violations to suppress the voice of political workers. “False criminal cases were filed to remove former prime minister Imran Khan from politics with murderous attacks taking place against him as 11 shots were fired and 127 cases were registered.”

Qaiser said in the letters that there were several attacks on the former prime minister's house and workers were tortured. “Renowned journalist Arshad Sharif was killed while his mother has not yet received justice. PTI worker Zille Shah was killed in Punjab. He was brutally murdered while in police custody and a case was registered against Imran for the murder of his own activist Ali Bilal alias Zille Shah.”

The letters stated, “The incumbent Pakistan Democratic Movement government has blackmailed the supreme judiciary of Pakistan through fake audios and videos.

“Pakistan is a signatory to several international human rights conventions and if the [incumbent] government’s actions are not stopped, attempts will be made to unconstitutionally ban the PTI.”

In the letters sent, Qaiser said that the Election Commission of Pakistan unconstitutionally postponed the elections in two provinces despite clear orders of the Supreme Court.

Qaiser also mentioned PML-N Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz who termed the political workers bigoted and racist. The former speaker urged them to play their “role in stopping the political genocide of the Pakistani people” as well as “the destruction of democracy”.