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ISLAMABAD —The United States urged Pakistan Wednesday to protect the rights of all citizens, including freedom of expression and assembly, as a military-backed crackdown on the opposition party of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan continues.
Donald Blome, the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, stressed during a seminar in Islamabad that upholding constitutionally guaranteed rights is crucial to the country's economic progress.
"Protecting human rights for all is not just a fundamental pillar of a democracy; it's a critical component of a vibrant and stable society drawing on the talents and contributions of all its citizens for the country's benefits," Blome said.
"Without such stability, the prospects for investment and economic growth appear far less certain," he noted, without directly naming Pakistani political stakeholders.
The U.S. ambassador's remarks came as Pakistan faces prolonged political turmoil stemming from Khan's removal from power in 2022 through a parliamentary no-confidence vote and his subsequent imprisonment last August, which the United Nations described as having no legal basis.
The ongoing crackdown has led to the arrest of hundreds of supporters of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, party, including women.
This week, police raided the PTI's headquarters in the Pakistani capital, detaining its chief spokesman and several other media team professionals, accusing them of running an "anti-state campaign."
Khan's aides have denounced the arrests as part of a campaign of suppression and intimidation.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's coalition government, struggling to address Pakistan's deep economic problems, has publicly stated its intention to ban the party over charges of anti-state activities and maligning the military.
"We will, under no circumstances, tolerate such actions against our motherland, innocent people, or the armed forces of Pakistan," Sharif reiterated Wednesday, while presiding over a cabinet meeting.
The threat of banning the country's most popular and the single largest party in parliament has further fueled political tensions.
On Tuesday, during a congressional hearing in Washington, the crackdown and potential banning of the Pakistani opposition party also came under discussion when Donald Lu, the U.S. assistant secretary of state, was responding to questions from lawmakers.
Democratic Congressman Brad Sherman, a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, raised the issue of Pakistan banning Khan from holding public office and preventing his party from using its iconic cricket bat symbol on the ballots in the February 8 vote.
"The information minister and two other ministers have said that they want to ban the PTI. And we see in the latest development that the PTI office has been sealed, their national information security and many women have been arrested," Sherman said.
"The best thing you can do is ask Ambassador Blome to go visit Imran Khan in prison, and I wonder if you would consider that," the congressmen told Lu. "We'll definitely discuss it with Ambassador Blome," responded the assistant secretary of state.
"Pakistan's future must be decided by its people. It's clear that the PTI is Pakistan's most popular party. I disagree with Imran Khan on many things, but it's the right of Pakistan's people to choose their leader," Sherman wrote on his social media X platform after the hearing.
Khan's arrest last year sparked violent street protests in Pakistan, with some of his supporters attacking facilities linked to the country's powerful military.
The Sharif government and the military used the riots to defend the crackdown on the PTI and as a reason to keep Khan in prison after several of his convictions in other cases were recently overturned by appeals courts for lack of evidence.
Earlier this week, the Supreme Court ruled that the PTI was eligible for around two dozen extra reserved seats in parliament, saying the Election Commission of Pakistan deprived the party of them in breach of the constitution.
Once implemented, the verdict will further strengthen the PTI in the parliament and weaken the ruling coalition. It has also given credence to the opposition and independent monitors' allegations that the February 8 elections were rigged in favor of pro-military parties and prevented the PTI from sweeping the polls.
Khan, 71, rejects all charges against him - ranging from corruption to sedition and a fraudulent marriage - as politically motivated and part of a larger effort by the military to keep him and his party from returning to power.
The former cricket hero turned politician insists on the return of his party's "stolen mandate" or new elections overseen by an impartial election commission.
Sharif, who has the backing of the military, denies his government is unfairly targeting Khan and his party, saying it was determined to bring to justice those responsible for the May 2023 attacks on military facilities.
Last month, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted 368-7 to approve a resolution urging "the full and independent investigation of claims of interference or irregularities" in Pakistan's election, a move Islamabad rejected.