WASHINGTON - A United Nations human rights working group said Monday that former prime minister Imran Khan has been arbitrarily imprisoned in violation of international law.
In an opinion issued on Monday, the Geneva-based U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention said that the “appropriate remedy would be to release Mr. Khan immediately and accord him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law.” “[The] working group concludes that his detention had no legal basis and appears to have been intended to disqualify him from running for political office. Thus, from the outset, that prosecution was not grounded in law and was reportedly instrumentalised for a political purpose,” the UN group said.
Concluding its opinion, the working group said that Imran’s deprivation of liberty was arbitrary and requested the government to take the steps necessary to remedy the PTI founder’s situation without delay and bring it into conformity with the relevant international norms.
“The working group considers that, taking into account all the circumstances of the case, the appropriate remedy would be to release Mr Khan immediately and accord him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law.
“The working group urges the government to ensure a full and independent investigation of the circumstances surrounding the arbitrary deprivation of liberty of Mr Khan and to take appropriate measures against those responsible for the violation of his rights,” the opinion said. Reacting to the working group’s opinion, the PTI termed it a “huge” development.
Since his removal as prime minister in April 2022, Khan, 71, has been entangled in more than 200 legal cases and imprisoned since August last year. He calls the cases politically motivated and orchestrated by his political enemies to keep him from power.
Last week, an Islamabad court rejected a plea to suspend the jail terms of Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi, whose marriage was ruled illegal under Islamic law. In April this year, a high court suspended Khan and his wife’s 14-year prison sentences in a corruption case. Khan also had another 10-year sentence for treason overturned this month.
But he remains in Adiala jail, south of the capital Islamabad, over the illegal marriage conviction.
Rana Sanaullah, an adviser to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, last week said “the government will try to keep him locked up for as long as possible”, according to the AFP news agency. Khan’s brief arrest in May 2023 sparked nationwide unrest, which in turn prompted a sweeping crackdown against his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and its senior leaders. PTI candidates were forced to stand as independents in the February general elections, although candidates loyal to PTI still secured more seats than any other party.
