UK parliamentarians urge Imran's release

Over 20 British MPs press foreign secretary for dialogue with Pakistan

ISLAMABAD:

Over 20 cross-party UK parliamentarians have urged Foreign Secretary David Lammy to engage with the Pakistani government for the release of former prime minister and PTI founding chairman Imran Khan.

The appeal came in a letter led by Liverpool Riverside MP Kim Johnson at the request of Imran Khan's advisor on international affairs, Zulfi Bukhari, and was signed by members from both the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

The signatories include MPs Kim Johnson, Paula Barker, Apsana Begum, Liam Byrne, Rosie Duffield, Gill Furniss, Paulette Hamilton, Peter Lamb, Andy McDonald, Apsana Begum, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, as well as Lord Peter Hain, Lord John Hendy, and Lord Todoanfel.

In the letter, the parliamentarians expressed grave concerns over the ex-PM's detention, adding that they believed the incarceration was a politically motivated move to disqualify him from contesting elections.

Pointing out that the former premier has been in custody since 2023, they expressed alarm over the possibility that his imprisonment might serve as a precedent to suppress political opponents in Pakistan.

"We are writing with grave concern about the continued detention of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan. As you will know, Mr Khan was imprisoned in 2023 in a move which the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found: had no legal basis and appears to have been intended to disqualify him from running for political office. Thus, from the outset, that prosecution was not grounded in law and was reportedly instrumentalised for a political purpose," the letter reads.

The letter further highlighted that Imran Khan was reportedly denied adequate time and facilities to prepare his defence in at least three trials.

They said it was becoming clear the cases piling up against Imran are now "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".

They urged him to initiate a dialogue with Pakistan's government to secure Imran's immediate release from pre-trial detention.

Raising alarms about the speculation that the incarcerated leader's fate will likely be decided by a military court, the parliamentarians warned the move would represent a worrying and completely illegal escalation.

"Following a recent review of Mr Khan's case, Amnesty International has found that there has been 'a pattern of weaponisation of the legal system to keep Imran Khan under detention and away from all political activity."

The letter also noted that the recently passed 26th Constitutional Amendment "would constitute an assault on the principle of a separation of powers codified in the country's Constitution".

It adds: "Meanwhile, in recent weeks, there has been further anti-democratic clampdowns on Mr Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Party, which has seen the arrest of parliamentarians and high-profile activists. Despite gaining prior permission to hold a rally in Islamabad, it appears that Pakistani authorities unfairly invoked a new Public Order Act to detain PTI supporters."