American congressmen Joe Wilson and August Pfluger sent a joint letter to Secretary of Marco Rubio state, urging him to interact with Pakistan’s military regime to ensure the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The letter, dated February 25, declared that Khan’s imprisonment, which began in August 2023, is the result of politically motivated positions. It refers to the expulsion of Khan in 2022 through a vote of distrust as a “suspension of democracy” in Pakistan, which leads to tense ties between the two countries.
Wilson, a prominent member of the Foreign Affairs and Armed Services Committees of the House of Representatives and a nearby ally of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, together with Pfluger, president of the Republican Study Committee, expressed concern about Khan’s imprisonment and its implications for relations between the United States and Pakistan.
In the letter, Wilson and Pfluger claim that Khan is widely loved in Pakistan and that his release would mark the beginning of a new era in relations between the United States and Pakistan based on shared values of freedom. They compared Khan’s situation with Trump’s, suggesting that Khan, as Trump, is a victim of judicial abuse.
The congressmen also asked Rubio to work with Pakistan to restore democracy, human rights, the rule of law and the fundamental guarantees of due process, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly and freedom of expression in the country.
They emphasized that Khan deserves to be treated like any other politician and should not be imprisoned for his political views.
Wilson had previously published in his account X asking Khan’s launch and shared a copy of the letter to Rubio, expressing the hope that relations between the United States and Pakistan could be strengthened through respect for freedom.
The letter concludes by stating that the strength of relations between the United States and Pakistan depends on the freedom of Imran Khan, with Wilson and Pfluger urging Rubio to act decisively.
