Senator Chuck Schumer warns Pakistan not to kill Imran Khan

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer warned in a conversation with Pakistan's ambassador to Washington that the security of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan was a high US priority, people told The Intercept multiple sources close to the exchange.

The warning issued last month by Schumer, the most powerful Democrat in Congress, to Pakistan followed intense activism by members of the Pakistani diaspora, fearing that the Pakistani military would harm Khan, the former Prime minister who was ousted from office in 2022.

The Pakistani American diaspora felt disappointed by Washington's failure to engage those with power in Pakistan and hold them accountable for gross human rights violations.

Chuck Schumer speaking to the ambassador regarding Imran Khan's security is very constructive, Mohammad Munir Khan, a Pakistani American political activist in the United States, told The Intercept. The Pakistani American diaspora felt let down by Washington's failure to engage the powerful in Pakistan and hold them accountable for gross violations of human rights and destruction of fundamental principles of democracy.

Imran Khan is currently incarcerated on corruption charges widely seen as politically motivated. Khan, who is considered Pakistan's most popular politician, was removed from power in an April 2022 vote of no confidence orchestrated by the country's powerful military and encouraged by the United States. Since then, Khan's party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, has faced a brutal crackdown that has sparked international concern and been denounced by human rights groups.

Concerns about Khan's life that prompted Schumer to call Pakistani Ambassador Masood Khan reflect a growing fear that the military could deal with Khan's stubborn popularity by simply ending his life behind bars. (Schumers' office declined to comment for this story. The Pakistani Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)

The move by Schumer, who represents a large Pakistani American community in New York, comes as a new governing coalition in the South Asian country seeks to consolidate power despite public disaffection following February's election-plagued election. frauds.

In addition to banning the PTI, Pakistan engaged in a severe crackdown ahead of the February vote. A record turnout suggested that PTI-aligned candidates had the upper hand. However, ignoring widespread fraud, a coalition of parties backed by the Pakistani military managed to form a government led by Shehbaz Sharif following the elections.

The international community, including the United States, noted irregularities in the vote and credible allegations of voter fraud and blatant fraud were made.

“There is undeniable evidence, which the State Department agrees with, that there were problems with this election,” Rep. Greg Casar, Democrat of Texas, told The Intercept in March. At the time, Casar and other members of Congress had just asked President Joe Biden to refuse to recognize the government, but Washington's ambassador to Pakistan congratulated Sharif in early March.

“There is undeniable evidence, which the State Department agrees with, that there were problems with this election.”

Foreign policy experts in Washington said the Biden administration's approach risks transgressing democratic principles in the name of security. Matt Duss, executive vice president of the Center for International Policy, said: “This appears to be an example of the administration allowing its security relationship with a foreign government to crowd out other critical concerns like democratic backsliding and human rights. »

Imran Khan himself is reportedly being held in dire conditions in a prison in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi. Last month, his visitor privileges were abruptly suspended for two weeks, sparking fears from his supporters about his physical conditions in detention. Earlier this month, one of his lawyers claimed that his personal doctor was not allowed to see him in prison. Khan's wife, who is imprisoned on political charges of un-Islamic marriage and corruption, is also believed to have suffered health problems due to her prison conditions, according to remarks from her lawyer this week.

In a statement made to reporters from prison and later shared on social media, Khan, who was injured in a November 2022 assassination attempt at a political rally, claimed there had been a plot to kill him while he was behind bars. Khan suggested his fate was in the hands of General Asim Munir, Pakistan's powerful army chief.

Let it be known that if anything happens to me or my wife, he will be the one responsible, Khan said.

Schumer's call to the Pakistani ambassador, however, could play a role in the military's calculations regarding Khan's death. “An influential senior Democrat in the Biden administration is sending a somewhat significant warning,” said Adam Weinstein, deputy director of the Middle East program at the Quincy Institute, adding that he did not believe the military would kill Khan in prison. .

As extreme as it may be, for the military to injure or even kill a leader it ousted, even one as popular as Khan, would fit a pattern in Pakistan's history. Several Pakistani leaders have died violently in recent decades after breaking with the military, some in murky circumstances, while others, like former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, were executed by the military rulers after been removed from power.

Although now nominally run by a civilian government, the Pakistani military is widely known to take the political lead in the country and is currently led by Munir, whose clashes with Khan and his party constitute the main storyline politics of the country for more than a year.

For Pakistani activists in the United States, the U.S. relationship with Pakistan creates leverage that can be used to ensure Khan is not murdered behind bars. Mohammad Munir Khan, the Pakistani American activist, said: “The least Washington can do is ensure that Imran Khan is not physically harmed.

Supporters of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, party stage a protest on March 10, 2024 in Peshawar against election fraud. Photo: Abdul Majeed/AFP via Getty Images Hearing on Capitol Hill

The United States has played an outsized role in Pakistan's domestic politics, particularly in recent years, including in ousting Khan from power.

In August 2023, The Intercept reported and published a classified Pakistani diplomatic cable, a controversial document that had become a centerpiece of the political drama, although its contents remained unknown, showing that Khan's removal from power took place at the following intense pressure on the Pakistani government. by U.S. State Department officials.

In the cable, Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu, whose office covers South Asia at the State Department, reportedly told Pakistan's ambassador in Washington that relations between the two countries would be seriously damaged if Khan remained in power.

I think if the no-confidence vote against the prime minister succeeds, all will be forgiven in Washington, Lu said, according to the Pakistani cable.

Since Khan's removal from power, the United States has worked closely with Pakistan's new military-backed regime. Pakistan provided weapons to Ukraine in exchange for the United States negotiating a favorable loan from the International Monetary Fund, according to a previous article by The Intercept.

Before being imprisoned, Khan frequently referenced the classified cipher and even claimed to hold up a physical copy at a political rally. He now faces a lengthy prison sentence on charges related to his handling of classified information, in addition to the string of corruption charges that initially landed him in custody.

Coming against the backdrop of a broader crackdown against his party that has included killings, extrajudicial disappearances and torture targeting PTI supporters and members of the press, most observers believe that the continued imprisonment of Khan is a politically motivated strategy to keep him and his movement out of power. .

After this year's election, as Casar and other members of Congress raised questions about Khan's impeachment and the vote, the United States House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs held a hearing with Lu, the assistant secretary of state.

The only person to testify, Lu denied being involved in regime change in Pakistan, referring to Khan's comments about his role and the contents of the cable reported by The Intercept.

During the election, Lu paid lip service to his concerns over the manner in which the vote was canceled, while failing to describe the consequences such electoral fraud would have.

You have seen the actions of our ambassador and our embassy, ​​Lu said, referring to the United States' congratulations to Pakistan's new prime minister. He then quickly added: We are present in every interaction with this government to emphasize the importance of accountability for election irregularities.

In the long run, it has never been beneficial for the United States to be seen as supporting illegitimate governments run by the military.

Rep. Brad Sherman, Democrat of California, raised the issue of Khan's safety in custody during the hearing. Sherman urged Lu to meet directly with Khan in prison, drawing applause from the mostly Pakistani audience.

Ensuring the security of leaders, regardless of political differences, is paramount, said Atif Khan, another Pakistani-American diaspora activist. Congressman Brad Sherman rightly made the case for accountability and protection, urging the US Ambassador to visit former Prime Minister Imran Khan and prioritize his well-being.

As Khan's fate hangs in the balance, members of Congress have warned that continued U.S. support for a government seen as illegitimate by most Pakistanis risks harming not only Pakistan, but also the U.S. position in a critical region.

Promoting democracy is important in its own right, but it's also in our interest, Casar, the Texas Democrat, told The Intercept. Regardless of short-term military benefits, in the long term, it has never been beneficial for the United States to be seen as supporting illegitimate military-led governments.

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