U.S. Congressman Brad Sherman on Tuesday wrote a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, urging him to raise a voice for the “human rights of the Pakistani people.”
The letter—which follows a series of engagements between Sherman and representatives of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the U.S.—states that it is in the U.S. national interest to support human rights in Pakistan. “The United States does not involved itself in Pakistan’s internal governmental matters—I respect its Constitution and its democratic process—but we must not shy away from raising our voice when the human rights of the Pakistani people are at stake,” he said, adding this included reaffirming Washington’s view that Islamabad should respect the right to speak, organize and demonstrate peacefully. “It is critical that we see a calm, orderly, democratic and prosperous Pakistan where Pakistanis can have a free and open political dialogue,” he added.
Sherman, who recently spoke with PTI chief Imran Khan via telephone, said he was “particularly alarmed” by incidents such as the “alleged torture and even sexual abuse of political figures such as former P.M. Khan’s Chief of Staff Shahbaz Gill and journalist Jameel Farooqui.” Acknowledging their subsequent release, he claimed “the chilling effect of their detention and treatment continues to resonate” and cited a statement by Human Rights Watch seeking an urgent investigation into Gill’s complaints. “HRW also questioned sedition charges against Gill. The April 6 arrest of former minister Ali Amin Gandapur adds to these concerns,” he wrote, further highlighting several cases filed against Khan and the “use of force against his supporters, the detention of protesters under sweeping counter-terrorism laws, and the closing space for free speech.”
Reflecting his conversations with the PTI, the American Congressman also referred to efforts by authorities to delay elections in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and urged Pakistan to respect a Supreme Court ruling directing for polls to proceed on a timely basis. He also asked the secretary of state to form a panel of legal experts to review the issue of the election delay verdict of the top court as the government is of the view that the matter should be heard by the full court.
“I will continue to monitor the situation,” he said. “I ask you to guide the United States-Pakistan policy toward a greater commitment to human rights and to use all U.S. diplomatic channels to urge Pakistani authorities to investigate the alleged abuses and to hold accountable anybody who may be responsible. Most importantly, I urge the authorities to make sure that going forward political figures or citizens who simply want to demonstrate are not subjected to anti-democratic consequences,” he added.
He concluded his letter by claiming the U.S.-Pakistani relationship is one of the most important foreign policy relationships and accordingly should reflect U.S. priorities regarding democracy, human rights, and the rule of law in Pakistan.
This isn’t the first time Sherman has spoken up about the alleged “rights violations” in Pakistan. Last month, he had issued a similar statement. He also displayed his “respect” for Pakistan’s judiciary in 2020 when he described as “outrageous” a court verdict overturning the death sentence of Al Qaeda’s Omar Saeed Sheikh. In recent months, he has been widely perceived to be speaking in favor of the PTI, ostensibly as a result of lobbying by a firm that the party hired to project itself overseas.
Hailing the letter, PTI leader Chaudhry Fawad Hussain claimed it reflected the “growing concerns of international community on the human rights abuses in Pakistan by a fascist government.” He urged lawmakers of the E.U. and U.K. to raise the issue in the jurisdictions as well.