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This was in response to the report “UN body: Imran’s detention ‘illegal’, ‘politically motivated’” (July 2) which contained the recommendation of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) to release the former Pakistani prime minister. Surprisingly, the organization did not mention a single word about the various serious charges against the former prime minister.
The man was jailed for deliberately concealing details of gifts he received from Toshahana while in power. In another case, he and his wife were accused of retaining a set of jewellery at an undervalued price that was given by the Saudi crown prince. There are also the “password” and “Iddat” cases against him, and most recently a £190m corruption case in which a key former confidant testified.
The independent organization believes that these cases have no legal basis and are politically motivated and aimed at excluding him from competing in the political arena. The Geneva Working Group believes that the former prime minister should be released immediately.
The organization stressed that the detention was “arbitrary” but chose to remain silent on the allegations of the May 9 incident, in which the man’s supporters engaged in anti-state activities, attacked military facilities and vandalized monuments to martyrs.
Since his ouster, the jailed opposition leader and his party have spared no effort to undermine the country’s interests, continuously creating political instability through subversive activities and spreading false information and dark propaganda against the state and its institutions. This has further exacerbated the country’s economic woes.
Furthermore, the UN working group seemed unconcerned about arbitrary detentions, kidnappings and persecution of political opponents and journalists, as well as restrictions and threats against media organizations during his tenure, which many viewed as an authoritarian style of governance.
Had the UN Working Group against Racial Discrimination shown concern between 2018 and 2021 when opposition leaders were arbitrarily detained for their differences of opinion, it might have established its credibility. But it chose to remain silent then and now speaks out, leaving no reasonable person in any doubt of its inherent bias. This practice is a clear interference in our internal affairs, which should not be tolerated at all. Neither the organization nor any foreign entity can force our decision-makers to release any convicted criminal. Pakistan is a sovereign state in any case and its sovereignty must not be compromised.
The UN panel should focus on speaking out for those who suffer cruelty, atrocities and hardship at the hands of rogue states like Israel. Shouldn’t the organization’s first responsibility be to express concern about the massive genocide being perpetrated by Israeli forces in Gaza? Shouldn’t the organization be speaking out against the fascist Indian government in New Delhi, which has been persecuting Muslims, Christians and even “lower caste” Hindus for decades?
Sajjad Khattak
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