PTI Prepares UN Case Suggesting Torture of Imran Khan and Wife
As Imran Khan marks two years in prison, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is stepping up attempts to take his alleged ill-treatment to the global arena. The party is preparing to submit a fresh case to the United Nations, claiming authorities of “torture” and “inhuman” treatment of the ex-prime minister and his wife, Bushra Bibi.
Last year, a UN human rights working group declared Khan’s detention arbitrary and unlawful, calling for his immediate release and compensation. Zulfiqar Ali Bukhari, a senior PTI aide, told The Independent that formal documentation on Khan and his wife’s custody conditions will soon be lodged with the UN. “We are putting a case together, and it will be submitted very soon,” he said.
To commemorate the anniversary of Khan’s arrest on 5 August, PTI activists will organize peaceful rallies and community gatherings across the country to call for his release and condemn what they term a concerted effort to silence the nation’s most popular political leader. The party will also issue a “white paper” detailing years of state repression and hopes the protests will snowball into a national movement.
Legal Battles and Allegations of State Repression
Khan was removed as prime minister in 2022 through a no-confidence vote and detained on charges of corruption in May 2023. His detention sparked demonstrations throughout Pakistan, some becoming violent. Although temporarily released, he was again imprisoned in August 2023, setting off a complicated string of legal battles.
The ex-prime minister blamed Pakistan’s army and the US for conspiring against him to oust him from office a claim both deny. PTI has meanwhile been subjected to extreme crackdowns, with more than 100 top PTI leaders recently given 10-year prison sentences for alleged roles in 2023 protests seen as a state attempt at weakening the party by the critics.
Khan’s attorneys are also deeply troubled by Pakistan’s judiciary and accuse it of political interference and depriving him of a fair trial. The former leader’s prison life was described by Abuzar Salman Niazi, a member of Khan’s legal team, as tough and illegal, with solitary confinement for long periods and limited access to basic necessities such as clean drinking water.
Internal Conflicts and Leadership Issues for PTI
The lengthy incarceration of its charismatic chief has left PTI reeling from internal chaos. Some key figures have moved away, and the party is struggling to chart a coherent direction forward in the absence of Khan’s steadying influence.
Bukhari does recognize the problems but underlines the resilience of the party. “No leader in Pakistan’s history rivals Imran Khan’s popularity and charisma,” he said. “The survival of the party is not about substituting him but navigating this storm together.”
He also held the state responsible for intentionally interrupting communication between Khan and his friends in order to create discord and infighting. “They choke our communication with him, generating conflicting narratives regarding what he could be thinking or saying,” Bukhari described.
In spite of being hit by more than 200 lawsuits and a leadership crisis, PTI maintains it is in no way near collapse. The party is gearing up to create momentum for national demonstrations while pressurizing global organizations to intervene on Khan’s behalf.
While Khan’s trial battles rage on and his party resumes rallying for justice, Pakistan’s political future is held in suspense. Whether PTI can hold together and exert pressure without its originator is a crucial question within the country’s on-going drama.
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