Pakistan Rebuffs US Lawmakers’ Appeal for Imran Khan’s Release, Terms it ‘Diplomatically Inappropriate’

Pakistan has termed a letter written by more than 60 House Representatives to President Joe Biden seeking the release of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan as a blatant interference in the country’s internal affairs and a sheer violation of diplomatic etiquette. Responding to a question posed during the weekly press briefing at Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan’s Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that even though Pakistan values bilateral relations with the USA, such interference in its internal affairs is unprofessional and cannot be good for the positive trajectory of relations between both countries.

US Intervention And Pakistan’s Response:

Opposition Democrats demanded the White House use Washington’s clout to seek the freedom of political prisoners, including the former Prime Minister, Khan who was detained in August 2023. 15 Democratic lawmakers through a letter to the President signed by Greg Casar. The lawmakers also wanted embassy officials to visit Khan at Adiala Jail and sought details of vote rigging in the most recent elections in Pakistan.

Regarding this, the Foreign Office Spokesperson Baloch said that the letter was prepared on the basis of having an ‘incorrect understanding about the political set up of Pakistan’. She pointed out that although Pakistan has not closed its door to diplomatic negotiations, such comments are unhelpful and against the spirit of developing good relations between the two countries.

Constitutional Amendments And Human Rights Concerns:

The FO also responded to questions from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Pakistan’s 26th constitutional amendment. Baloch did not agree with the OHCHR and dismissed it as a Report based on prejudice and distortion of events and processes taking place in Pakistan.

The bill, supported by the incumbent Shehbaz Sharif government in the parliament, brought massive changes in the Judiciary of Pakistan, including a new mode to appoint the Chief Justice of Pakistan among the three senior judges. The government has argued that such changes would help to promote and enhance democratic institutions despite international reaction.