UN demands release of jailed former Pakistani PM Imran Khan – Kashmir Reader

Islamabad: A UN human rights working group has called for the immediate release of jailed former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan, saying he was detained “arbitrarily in violation of international law”. Imran, 71, has been behind bars since August last year and was convicted in a series of cases ahead of February’s general elections. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention made the demand after reviewing the Pakistani prime minister’s case, in which he was convicted last year on corruption charges. It demanded Imran’s release, saying it was “appropriate redress”. The group said Imran’s conviction in the Toshakhana corruption case was part of a “much broader crackdown targeting the PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) in general” and him in particular. “As Pakistan’s February 2024 general elections approach, PTI candidates have been arrested, tortured and intimidated into leaving the party; PTI rallies have been disrupted and blocked; Imran Khan’s party has been deprived of its iconic cricket bat symbol, forcing its candidates to contest as independents,” he said, adding that Imran was facing over 150 politically motivated criminal cases, including three major convictions just days before the elections. *Imran’s party welcomes panel’s findings*It further said that the detention in the corruption case “had no legal basis and appeared to have been intended to disqualify him from contesting the elections” and that the former prime minister had been detained for “exercising his right to freedom of expression of opinion”. He was also denied a fair trial and due process rights, he said. “For Khan, who is 71, the combined prison term of 34 years amounts to a life sentence,” the panel said. Imran Khan’s spokesperson Zulfi Bukhari welcomed the panel’s findings and demands for his immediate release. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf also welcomed the findings of the UN task force and reiterated its demand for the former prime minister’s urgent release. Imran has been in prison since August 2023, when a court handed him a three-year prison sentence after convicting him of concealing assets after selling state gifts. This led to the former Pakistani prime minister being banned from participating in politics and running in the February 8 elections, which his party claims were rigged. Despite the ban and a military-backed crackdown, Imran’s party won the most seats in the February 8 vote but fell short of a majority to form a government. The PTI has called the election rigged, an allegation backed by the Geneva-based UN task force, which highlighted the arrests of several PTI leaders and alleged torture in custody as well as restrictions on holding campaign rallies in the run-up to the elections. It also alleged “widespread fraud on election day, stealing dozens of parliamentary seats, according to Geo News. *Cases filed against Imran Khan*The cricketer-turned-politician came to power in 2018 but was ousted in a no-confidence motion in 2022 by a united opposition – the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) – comprising several parties, including the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) led by Nawaz Sharif and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) led by Bilawal Bhutto. Since then, the former prime minister has launched a tirade of accusations against the military and also blamed the United States for his ouster. His five-year disqualification in the Toshakhana case was suspended by the Islamabad High Court after he was jailed in August 2023. Days before the elections, Imran was sentenced to 10 years in the cipher case for leaking state secrets, 14 years in the Toshakhana corruption case and seven years in an illegal marriage case with Bushra Bibi. Two of the cases have been suspended so far, but a court rejected their requests in the illegal marriage case. He is also facing trial on anti-terrorism charges in connection with the violence in May last year. Multiple court cases have been filed against the PTI founding chairman after his ouster, one of which also disqualified him as a candidate in the February elections. The United States, Britain and the European Union have expressed concern over reported irregularities in the election and called for an investigation, which has been criticised by Pakistan's parliament. (with PTI inputs)

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