More than 60 members of the US House of Representatives sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Wednesday, advocating for the release of political prisoners in Pakistan, specifically highlighting former Prime Minister Imran Khan. This initiative, spearheaded by Congressman Greg Casar, emphasized the need for the Biden administration to prioritize human rights in its dealings with Pakistan.
The letter urged the president to secure the immediate release of Khan and to put an end to the widespread arbitrary detention of political party members and activists in the country. The lawmakers expressed their concern for Khan’s safety and well-being and requested that US embassy officials be allowed to visit him while he is imprisoned.
The letter was co-signed by prominent lawmakers, including Jim McGovern and Summer Lee, and featured the names of several well-known Democrats such as Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Barbara Lee, Brad Sherman, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and Ro Khanna, among others.
In their correspondence, the lawmakers expressed solidarity with their Pakistani American constituents, as well as community leaders and elected officials both nationally and internationally. They voiced their support for the Pakistani people’s efforts to restore a truly representative democracy.
Additionally, Greg Casar previously led a group of around 30 Congress members earlier this year, raising concerns with President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken regarding the fairness of the February 8 elections in Pakistan. On the same day as the letter’s release, musician Yusuf Islam, known as Cat Stevens, also showed support for Imran Khan. In a tweet, he stated that Khan had been “illegally held for over a year” and condemned the recent decision to place him in solitary confinement for three weeks, describing the conditions as dark and restrictive, with no allowance for even a brief walk.
