Panel of the United States Congress to hold the audience in ‘Political repression in Pakistan’

The Human Rights Commission of Tom Lantos of the United States Congress will hold a hearing to examine the ‘continuous repression of the political opposition’ in Pakistan, according to an announcement published on the official website of the Commission.

The hearing, scheduled to be held in person and transmitted online on July 16 at 12:30 AM PST, will focus on the actions of the Pakistani government that supposedly restricts political freedoms, including the treatment of opposition political figures, the suppression of independent journalism and controls over media and communication.

The Commission declared that it will evaluate the implications of these actions for democracy and human rights in Pakistan. It is responsible for promoting, defending and advocating international human rights as described in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other key human rights frameworks.

According to the announcement, many observers track the current phase of repression until 2022, when the then Prime Minister Imran Khan was withdrawn from the position, later convicted of corruption and imprisoned.

The 2023 country’s report of the US Department of State.

The Commission pointed out that the general elections of Pakistan in February 2024 were marked by “undue restrictions on freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly”, as well as incidents of electoral violence and interference with fundamental rights, as described in a statement from the United States Department of State.

The witnesses scheduled to testify include Ben Linden of Amnesty International, the human rights lawyer Jared Genser, Sadiq Amini of the Impact Net of Afghanistan and Zulfikar Bukhari, an advisor to Imran Khan.

The audience is open to the members of the Congress, the staff, the public and the media. It will be broadcast live on the commission website and on the digital channel of the house.