US delegation visits Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi
A three-member delegation from the US Embassy visited Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on Friday, where they were granted consular access to three detained American citizens.
The visit included meetings with individuals held under the Foreign Act, according to jail sources.
The delegation met with detainees Abid Malik, Sadiqa Saeed, and Alex Pleado in the office of the Additional Superintendent, a meeting that lasted approximately one hour.
Members of the US delegation included Irfan Jan, Mike Murphy, and Raheel Javed.
Following their meetings, the delegation departed from Adiala Jail.
The meeting took place days two days after the Biden administration confirmed that it received a letter from more than 60 United States (US) Congress members urging the White House to advocate for the release of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan who is coincidently also jailed in the same prison.
On Tuesday, US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller confirmed the letter’s receipt during a briefing and stated that the administration would “respond in due course.”
The letter, led by prominent Congress members such as Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, called on President Biden to secure guarantees from Pakistani authorities for Imran’s safety in custody.
Miller further noted that the US supports a “sustained democracy” in Pakistan, adding that a recent meeting between US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Democracy and Human Rights Monica Jacobson and Pakistan’s Human Rights Secretary in Islamabad focused on fundamental rights and freedoms.
The spokesperson declined to comment on claims that the release of Khan’s wife and sisters from detention was linked to US involvement, stating only that discussions covered “support for a vibrant civil society and strong democratic institutions.”
Yesterday, a coalition of 160 parliamentarians expressed strong discontent over a recent letter from 62 US Congressmen, calling for a re-evaluation of the US commentary on Pakistan's political dynamics and urging Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to address perceived external interference
In their letter to the prime minister, the lawmakers criticised the US legislators for what they deemed a skewed view of Pakistan's domestic politics.
They argued that the letter exaggerates a political narrative that primarily serves the interests of a single political party, namely Imran Khan's PTI. The parliamentarians contend that this portrayal undermines the integrity of Pakistan's state institutions and other political entities.
While acknowledging the US Congressmen's rights to political opinion and free speech, the Pakistani lawmakers emphasized that their perspectives allegedly appear to be influenced by disinformation propagated by Imran's supporters.
They called for a clearer distinction between facts and fiction and urged the US legislators to critically assess the motives behind such narratives.
"We, as parliamentarians consider ourselves duty-bound to inform the respected members of Congress through the honourable Prime Minister," they stated, "to separate facts from fiction and critically view the political motives behind the campaign to discredit credible political process in Pakistan and undermine its democratic institutions."