LONDON: As members of the embattled Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf face a slew of cases. Late-night arrests, and even alleged enforced disappearances, party representatives in the UK and Europe have staged protests. Written to MPs, and spoken with human rights organizations about the PDM government’s crackdown.
Sahibzada “Chico” Jahangir, PTI’s UK and Europe representative. Said the party doesn’t seek anything from the international community but wants free and fair elections in Pakistan.
On Tuesday, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry would release a report. That report includes detailing “all the human rights violations against PTI from May 25 till now”.
The international protests occurred before senior PTI officials Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Asad Umar met EU diplomats and ambassadors in Islamabad.
A person familiar with the subject said ambassadors informed about the PTI crackdown and particular incidences.
“The European countries specially are very pro-democracy and pro-human rights,” the source added. “It is obvious no intervention is expected, but they are keen to know our point of view regarding what’s going on”.
The source noted that the PTI chose this approach because diplomats work with the government and know its position.
“Now they know our perspective on Zaman Park and the [Federal Judicial Complex].”
Moreover, PTI member and former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser complained to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), a global organization of national parliaments, over “political victimisation, assassination attempts and attacks on PTI”.
Mr. Qaiser wrote to the 179-member IPU, calling the PDM government “fascist” and accusing it of “illegal policies and severe violations” of human rights.
Mr. Qaiser believed the forum would notice and safeguard Pakistanis.
