Around a dozen British parliamentarians on Tuesday called for the immediate release of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, as they participated in a hearing regarding democracy and rule of law in Pakistan.
Jointly convened by Labour M.P. Naz Shah and Conservative Peer Lord Hannan, the session was addressed by PTI leaders Zulfikar Bukhari and Meher Bano Qureshi, as well as Sarwar Bari, founder of Pattan Development.
During the session, Bukhari alleged the Feb. 8 general elections were massively rigged and expressed concerns over the potential for Imran Khan to be tried in military courts for his alleged role in the May 9, 2023 riots. Accusing the incumbent government of being “illegitimate,” he appreciated the British parliamentarians for calling for the “return” of democratic norms to Pakistan.
He alleged that PTI’s former social media head Azhar Mashwani was unable to attend the meeting because he had been threatened over the safety of his brother, who went “missing” earlier this month. “We are putting a lot of hope in the judiciary. It is not perfect, but judges standing up will drive this forward—we don’t want special treatment. We just want the rule of law,” he said.
In her address, Qureshi outlined the difficulties PTI candidates faced during the general elections. “It has been disappointing the eerie silence from Western democracies; we would have expected they would stand up for democracy in Pakistan,” she said, stressing that Pakistanis wanted to know their voices and votes would be respected. She further claimed her father was being “punished” for siding with Khan over the cipher case, which she alleged was a means to intimidate the PTI leaders.
Bari, meanwhile, said his organization was auditing the results of the general elections. “Out of 265 constituencies where elections were held, we found serious problems in 208 Form 47s, such as calculation errors. In 74 percent of the forms, officials didn’t write their names or the place where elections were held,” he claimed, alleging further that incorrect documents were uploaded to the Election Commission’s website.
The participants of the hearing resolved that parliamentarians would call on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy for the U.K. government to take note of a recent U.N. working group report that had demanded Khan’s immediate release and the return of democracy to Pakistan.
“As friends of Pakistan and friends of Pakistani democracy, we want to see that country prosper,” said Lord Hannan. “We want to see the U.N.’s recommendations implemented, including an end to the detention of Imran Khan and a timetable for free and inclusive elections. We will continue to press for democracy on a cross-party basis, and in both parliamentary chambers. And we will link up with parliamentarians in other friendly countries to make the case internationally,” he added.
Shah sought to stress that the hearing was “pro-Pakistan” and rebutted criticisms of it targeting the country. “Important dialogue was held in parliament today in relation to democracy in Pakistan. As somebody with a large Pakistani constituency and as an M.P. of Pakistani heritage, I want to see Pakistan succeed; particularly democracy in Pakistan, as well as freedom of the press, and justice,” she added.
She maintained she had always spoken up for media freedoms and human rights. “I did so under Imran Khan’s government. I have always spoken for Pakistan, on the issue of Kashmir and Gaza and I will continue doing that,” she added.
The meeting took place a few weeks after the U.S. House of Representatives adopted a bipartisan resolution with an overwhelming majority, demanding a probe into the Feb. 8 elections and condemning widespread human rights violations in Pakistan.