Washington: Several US lawmakers, including Congressman Brad Sherman, have called for free, fair and internationally supervised general elections in Pakistan.
The demand by members of Congress came during a program on ‘The State of Human Rights and Democracy in Pakistan’, where major issues in Pakistan including human rights violations, missing persons, upcoming general elections, politically motivated arrests were discussed. , as well as the importance of free media and democracy were discussed.
“This is a difficult time for Pakistan,” Congressman Sherman said. Agree with us on the matter of policy”.
He said US lawmakers were looking forward to free, transparent and supervised elections as required by Pakistani law, which he believed to be “October or early November depending on how things go”.
The event – hosted by renowned Pakistani-American Dr. Asif Mehmood with Congressmen Sherman and Jim Costa as hosts – featured photographs of journalist Imran Riaz Khan and jailed fashion designer Khadija Shah, along with pictures of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). (PTI) supporters also participated. A dual citizen who was detained by Pakistani police after the May 9 violence, for display.
The event also featured short videos of the alleged brutality and the May 9 riots, albeit without audio, as well as appeals from Riyad’s family to find him and bring him to court.
Discussing the problems facing Pakistan, some US lawmakers urged the government not to try civilians in military courts and to repeal or replace the blasphemy law.
During the program, which lasted for about two hours, the Pakistani government was repeatedly urged to announce the date of the elections and allow international monitoring to ensure free, fair and transparent elections.
Congressman Kweisi Mfume even demanded that “monitoring should come from the United Nations.”
Congressman Eric Swalewell said in a letter to the Pakistani ambassador in Washington that Riyadh’s whereabouts should be investigated.
Congressmen Ted Lew, Adam Schiff and Mike Levin emphasized the need to uphold human rights and stand up for democratic values and freedom of expression.
While Congresswoman Judy Cho declared that the US alliance with Pakistan is important for safety and security in South Asia, she added that “what is happening in Pakistan is a threat to its own security.” “
