Nearly two dozen UK members of Parliament recently intensified their calls for the immediate release of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan, currently detained in Adiala Jail with his wife, Bushra Begum.
These parliamentarians voiced their concerns during a House of Lords Committee Room hearing that focused on the erosion of democratic norms in Pakistan and the situation described as the “illegal incarceration” of Khan. Naz Shah, Labour MP for Bradford West, and Conservative Peer Lord Hannan of Kingsclere co-chaired this session.
The meeting included participants such as Imran Khan’s newly appointed International Affairs Adviser, Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari, PTI candidate Meher Bano Qureshi, and Sarwar Bari, the founder of Pattan Development. More than 22 parliamentarians from major parties attended, featuring prominent figures like former Leader of the Conservative Party Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP, former Home Secretary Priti Patel MP, and former Conservative Party Chairwoman Baroness Warsi.
During the session, the group decided to approach Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy, urging the UK government to acknowledge a recent United Nations report on Khan’s imprisonment and to advocate for his release and the restoration of democracy in Pakistan.
In his address, Bukhari outlined the alleged electoral manipulations and potential threats of military court trials facing Khan. He emphasized the undermining of Pakistan’s governmental legitimacy and the atrocities committed against democratic freedoms over the past two years.
Meher Bano Qureshi, speaking at length, criticized the muted response from Western democracies to the electoral irregularities and repression in Pakistan, expressing a poignant desire for genuine freedom and democratic integrity rather than mere resilience.
Lord Hannan highlighted the global concern for Pakistani democracy, advocating for implementing UN recommendations, including ending Khan’s detention and establishing a timeline for free and inclusive elections.
Naz Shah described the hearing as an advocacy platform for a significant segment of Pakistanis favouring Khan’s release and an end to political persecution, stressing the importance of dialogue in Parliament on Pakistan’s democracy, media freedoms, and human rights.
