Over 150 Pak MPs condemn letter from US Congress members seeking Imran Khan's release

Islamabad: Pakistan's more than 150 lawmakers joined hands to condemn a letter from 62 US Congress members urging President Joe Biden to pressurize Islamabad into releasing jailed former premier Imran Khan, a media report said on Thursday.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)'s founding chairman Khan has been in jail since August last year and his overseas supporters have been lobbying to get international support for his release.

Their efforts got a boost when last week, around 60 Democratic lawmakers from the US House of Representatives wrote to President Biden for Khan’s release.

In response, around 160 members of Pakistan's National Assembly sent a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, terming the US letter as interference in Pakistan's internal affairs, according to a report by Geo News channel.

The Pakistani lawmakers, including notable figures such as Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Naveed Qamar, Mustafa Kamal, Aasiya Naz Tanoli, and Khalid Magsi, expressed deep concerns over the perceived interference.

The Pakistani lawmakers lament US Congressmen's letter for being "influenced by blatant disinformation peddled by adherents of same political party". It goes on to examine "political motives behind the campaign to discredit credible political process in Pakistan and undermine its democratic institutions".

Noting that the country grapples with the challenges of the post-truth era which have been further complicated by politics of cult-followership and polarisation, the legislators said: "Gross misuse of social media as a tool for Digital Terrorism remains a proclivity to rouse unrest and threaten the state, while the lead role in this negative campaign is being unfortunately undertaken by dissident elements residing in the US and the UK."

Blaming the PTI founder for introducing political violence and criminal intimidation against state institutions, the letter alleges that the incarcerated ex-PM had been "inciting assaults on Islamabad and Lahore to cause anarchy and violence".

Stressing that the US lawmakers' conduct and views regarding the February 8 polls were "equally misinformed in one-sided," the communique to PM Shehbaz maintained that the Khan-founded party was consistently making efforts to malign the electoral process.

"Commentary on sub-judice cases by members of Congress is likely to unfairly influence the judicial process in Pakistan," it warned.

The letter outlined accusations against Khan, asserting that he promoted political violence and made criminal threats against state institutions.

Highlighting that dragging other countries into the domestic electoral fray to satisfy a small segment of the electorate is ill-advised, the parliamentarians — in an apparent reference to the cipher case saga — said that a similar misuse of diplomatic communication for political advantage by the same caused one of the most serious crises in current history of Pakistan-US relations.

"It is ironic that respected members of US Congress tend to ignore the testimony of Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu in which he blamed for orchestrating a campaign based on 'complete falsehood'," reads the letter while referring to Khan's claim of blaming his ouster as PM on a conspiracy orchestrated by Washington.

"We wish to respect the political process in the US and express our commitment to work with the new administration formed as a result of coming elections. Concurrently, we rightfully expect the same to be acknowledged and respected by US lawmakers as well," it added.

Additionally, the lawmakers urged the government to direct the diplomatic mission in Washington to engage the members of the Pakistani caucus in the US Congress as well as signatories of this letter to highlight the correct perspective on the issue and caution them from falling prey to unsubstantiated political propaganda against Islamabad.

The US lawmakers had directly asked President Biden to put pressure on Pakistan for Khan.

"We write today to urge you to use the United States' substantial leverage with Pakistan's government to secure the release of political prisoners including former Prime Minister Khan and curtail widespread human rights abuses," the lawmakers wrote.

US Representative Greg Casar, who led the letter, said it marked the first such collective call from multiple members of the US Congress for the release of Imran, who otherwise has had testy relations with Washington as a long-standing critic of US foreign policy.