US lawmakers label Pakistan's governance 'military rule with civilian facade'

Islamabad, Pakistan — 

More than 60 members of Congress wrote to President Joe Biden connected Wednesday, urging his involution "to unafraid the merchandise of governmental prisoners" successful Pakistan, including erstwhile Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The missive stated that successful February, the Pakistani parliamentary elections saw a historical level of irregularities, including wide electoral fraud, state-led efforts to disenfranchise voters, and the apprehension and detention of governmental leaders, journalists and activists.

The U.S. lawmakers echoed calls for Khan's contiguous merchandise and an extremity to the wide arbitrary detention of supporters of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Party.

"At a minimum, we inquire your medication to urgently unafraid the guarantees from the Pakistani authorities for Khan's information and well-being and impulse U.S. Embassy officials to sojourn him successful prison," the missive to Biden read.

The American lawmakers expressed their interest astir what they denounced arsenic the "ongoing wide quality rights violations" successful Pakistan pursuing the country's parliamentary elections.

"More broadly, developments since the February ballot constituent to a wide crook towards authoritarianism successful the country," the missive said. "… Simply put, Pakistan's existent strategy amounts to 'military regularisation with civilian facade.' "

The representatives noted that the Pakistani authorities besides has intensified its crackdown connected societal media and the net arsenic portion of a broader effort to suppress governmental activism and unit journalists.

The missive was written by Representative Greg Casar; Representatives Jim McGovern and Summer Lee are co-leaders of the group. The missive describes Khan, 72, arsenic a governmental person successful Pakistan "with wide enactment successful the country."

There was nary contiguous absorption to the missive from the White House, nor person Pakistani officials commented connected it.

Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023 connected aggregate allegations, including corruption and inciting unit against subject facilities. He denies immoderate wrongdoing.

In June, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 368-7 to impulse "the afloat and autarkic probe of claims of interference oregon irregularities" successful the February polls successful Pakistan.

Islamabad powerfully objected to the resolution, saying it "stems from an incomplete knowing of the governmental concern and electoral process" successful the South Asian nation.

Khan, the cricket star-turned-prime minister, was ousted from powerfulness successful 2022 done an absorption parliamentary ballot of nary confidence. The move, which the deposed person rejected arsenic illegal, led to unprecedented governmental turmoil successful nuclear-armed Pakistan, a state of much than 240 cardinal people. The deposed person accused the subject of orchestrating his removal and initiated galore lawsuits subsequently.

The ineligible challenges, which Khan rejects arsenic politically motivated, person prevented him from pursuing nationalist office. His enactment was besides subjected to a authorities crackdown and yet prohibited from participating successful the February election. Khan and autarkic critics support the ballot was rigged to let pro-military parties to unafraid victory, allegations Sharif and subject officials denied.