New York: A UN panel determined that former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's detention is arbitrary and violates international law, calling for his immediate release and compensation. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention highlighted that Khan's imprisonment lacks legal basis and appears politically motivated to disqualify him from political office.
Despite being cleared for release before the February general elections, 71-year-old Imran has been behind bars since August last year and has been convicted in a volley of cases. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention demanded Imran's release, saying it was an “appropriate remedy.” The group said Imran's conviction in the Toshakhana graft case was part of a "much larger campaign of repression targeting the PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) generally" and him specifically.
"In the lead up to Pakistan's February 2024 general elections, PTI candidates were arrested, tortured, and intimidated into leaving the party; PTI rallies were disrupted and blocked; and the party was deprived of its iconic cricket bat symbol, forcing its candidates to run as independents," it said, adding that Imran was facing over 150 politically motivated criminal cases, including three major convictions just days before the election.
It added that the detention in the graft case “had no legal basis and appears to have been intended to disqualify him from running for office" and that the former PM was detained for "exercising his right to freedom of expression of opinion". He was also denied a fair trial and due process rights, it said.
Imran Khan's spokesman Zulfi Bukhari, welcomed the group's findings and demands for his immediate release. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf also hailed the findings of the UN working group and reiterated its demand for the ex-PM's urgent release.
