Hours after PTI founder Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi’s conviction in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case, the former ruling party has constituted a 12-member committee to raise human rights-related issues with the international community.
According to a notification issued by PTI Addition Secretary General Firdous Shamim Naqvi on Friday, former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser will lead the “Human Rights Committee”.
Besides Qaiser, the 12-member committee comprising Qasim Khan Suri, Zulfi Bukhari, Aliya Hamza, Raoof Hasan and others. The body would look into matters related to human rights in the country, read the notification.
It is pertinent to mention here that the 71-year-old cricketer-turned-politician has been behind bars since August last year after he was sentenced in Toshakhana case-I — one of the dozens cases registered against the former premier since his ouster from power in April 2022.
Since the ouster of the former prime minister from office, the PTI has been decrying alleged political victimisation, mandate stealing, “illegal” detentions and “human rights violations”.
Last week, Khan’s counsel claimed that a global parliamentary body had decided to send its representative to observe the trials against the PTI founder.
Khan’s lawyer, Khalid Yousuf Chaudhry, told Geo News that he discussed the ex-prime minister’s cases with an official of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) following which it decided to send its trial observer.
The IPU, of which Pakistan is a member, facilitates parliamentary diplomacy and empowers parliaments and parliamentarians to promote peace, democracy and sustainable development around the world.
“The IPU representative was briefed on the judicial proceedings in the £190 million case,” said Chaudhry in his statement. “They were also informed about the Toshakhana cases.”
He added, “I provided the IPU representative with details regarding the penalties in the Toshakhana cases, as well as the legal and constitutional flaws and the violation of the right to a fair trial.”
Chaudhry said the IPU representative was also briefed on the events of May 9 and the GHQ case. “In November 2023, an IPU trial observer attempted to visit Adiala Jail but was denied permission.”
In addition to this, the US, UK, and EU had last month also criticised military courts over the sentencing of civilians in connection with attacks on military facilities on May 9, 2023, after the arrest of the jailed former prime minister.
On the other hand, Aleema Khan, the sister of incarcerated former prime minister, on January 10, threatened to knock at the door of all the international institutions in connection with the dozens of cases against the PTI founder.
Talking to journalists outside the Adiala jail, Rawalpindi, Aleema said: “We have left with no option but to take the cases to the international level.”
“Pakistan is a signatory of the UN convention,” she said, adding that they would approach all the international institutions to raise the issue.
Last year, a UN human rights working group had said in an opinion that Khan’s detention was arbitrary and in violation of international law. The Geneva-based UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention had said that the “appropriate remedy would be to release Khan immediately and accord him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law”.
Slamming the incumbent government in the Centre, the PTI founder sister said: “[Even] His physician is not allowed to meet PTI founder. This is torture.”
She also accused the jail authorities of causing trouble to Khan.
