Islamabad – US Representative Michelle Steel has expressed concern over the Shehbaz Sharif government’s “engaged in human rights abuses and oppression of dissent” amid the ongoing political turmoil in cash-strapped Pakistan.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was urged by Steel to “take appropriate diplomatic steps to preserve democracy in Pakistan” in a tweet.
“I share the worries of many of my colleagues that the Pakistani government violates human rights and represses opposition. I support demands for Secretary Blinken to use diplomatic means to protect Pakistan’s democracy, she wrote in a tweet.
In a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, more than 60 US legislators raised concerns about human rights abuses in Pakistan and encouraged him to put pressure on the Pakistani government to address the problem.
Elissa Slotkin and Brian Fitzpatrick wrote the letter, which was also signed by 65 other members and was the result of efforts made by the Pakistani-American Political Action Committee (PAKPAC), according to a report in Geo News.
Imran Khan, the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and former prime minister who was ousted from office in April of last year, was recently detained in Pakistan on “illegal” charges.
On May 9, amidst deadly riots around the nation, Khan was taken into custody. The former prime minister was arrested in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust corruption scandal, but was eventually freed after the Pakistani Supreme Court ruled that his detention had violated the law.
