Over 65 Members of the United States Congress expressed issues concerning the present state of affairs in Pakistan and urged State Secretary Anthony Blinken to pressurize the Pakistani authorities to enhance the human rights state of affairs within the nation.

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The US Congressmen despatched a letter to the State Secretary the place it acknowledged, “As proponents of a strong US-Pakistan relationship, we write to express our concerns about the current situation in Pakistan and urge you to use all diplomatic tools at your disposal to pressure the Government of Pakistan towards a greater commitment to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.”

“This should include a commitment to investigate any infringement upon freedom of speech and freedom of assembly in Pakistan,” the letter additional learn.

Imran Khan, who was deposed as prime minister by way of a no-confidence transfer in April final yr, was arrested on May 9, the day when the nation witnessed lethal protests. He was detained within the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case, however a court docket later declared his arrest towards the legislation and granted him bail, The News International reported.

The lethal protests took the lives of at the least 10 folks and injured a number of others, with the authorities not solely arresting the social gathering leaders however 1000’s of PTI staff as properly, in line with The News International.

The letter, coauthored by Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin and Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, was signed by 65 different lawmakers. It acknowledged that over the previous few months, the state of affairs in Pakistan has turn into more and more regarding with the blanket bans on demonstrations and deaths of a number of outstanding critics of the federal government.

“We ask for your help pressuring the Government of Pakistan to ensure protestors can assert their demands in a peaceful and non-violent way, free from harassment, intimidation, and arbitrary detention. As both Democrats and Republicans who care about the bilateral relationship, we are concerned that violence and increased political tension could spiral into a deteriorating security situation in Pakistan,” the letter learn.

The letter additional acknowledged that because the supporters of a powerful bilateral relationship between the 2 nations, the US Congressmen wished to commend the sustained concentrate on Pakistan and your efforts to offer humanitarian help following historic, devastating floods.

The US Congressmen urged to make use of all of the diplomatic tools–including visits, and public statements–to reveal nations’ curiosity and stop the erosion of democratic establishments in Pakistan.

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“Supporting democracy in Pakistan is in the national interest of the United States. In this critical moment, US diplomatic leadership is necessary to prevent further erosion of democratic protections. We thank you for your work and again urge you to do all you can to address this situation. We look forward to supporting you in this effort,” the letter learn.