The British Parliament today held a hearing on the abolition of democratic principles in Pakistan and the illegal imprisonment of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
More than 20 members of parliament from all major parties participated in this hearing. It was decided in the hearing that the parliamentarians will ask the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Affairs to ask the British government to take note of the recent UN report on the imprisonment of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Demands the Release of Imran Khan, and the return of democracy to Pakistan.
British parliamentarians demand the immediate release of Imran Khan:
The British Parliament today held a hearing on the abolition of democratic principles in Pakistan and the illegal imprisonment of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. The hearing was jointly chaired by Labor MP for Bradford West Naz Shah and Conservative peer Lord Hannan of Kingsclear. Imran Khan’s advisor, Syed Zulfiqar Bukhari, and PTI’s candidate for the 2024 Pakistani general election, Mehr Bano Qureshi, were guest speakers, as was Sarwar Bari, founder of Patton Development. The hearing was attended by more than 20 MPs from all major parties, including former Conservative Party Leader and Cabinet Minister, Rt. The Honorable Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP, Former Home Secretary Rt. Hon’ble Priti Patel MP, and former Security Minister, Rt. The Honorable Baroness Neville Jones, former Minister of State at the Foreign Office, Lord Ahmed of Wimbledon, and former Chairwoman of the Conservative Party and Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Rt. The Honorable Baroness Warsi. In the hearing, it was decided that the MPs will meet the Prime Minister. The Honorable Sir Keir Starmer MP and Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Rt. The Honorable David Lemmy MP calls on the UK Government to take note of the recent UN report on the imprisonment of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, for the immediate release of Imran Khan from illegal prison and the return of democracy to Pakistan.
Quotes attributable to Syed Zulfiqar Bukhari;
“Pakistanis deserve the right to self-determination. The current government of Pakistan is illegitimate and the world needs to be made aware of the atrocities committed by the government of Pakistan against freedom and democracy in the last two years. Calling for a return.”
Quotes attributable to Mehr Bano Qureshi;
The dreadful silence of Western democracies has been disappointing, we would have expected them to stand up for democracy in Pakistan. This rant about being resilient and brave is amazing. Do people of Pakistan, we all want to be free which political party we support, which political party we contest elections, and we want our representatives to be free to be heard. Votes have to be counted.
Quotes attributable to Lord Hannan of Kingsclere;
As a friend of Pakistan and a friend of Pakistani democracy, we want to see this country develop. We want to see the implementation of the recommendations of the United Nations, including Imran Khan. including the end of detention and a timetable for free and inclusive elections.
We will continue to push for democracy on a one-party basis and in both parliamentary chambers. We will liaise with parliamentarians of other friendly countries so that the case can be attributed to the international level.
Quotes attributable to Naz Shah MP;
An important discussion was held in Parliament today regarding democracy in Pakistan. With a large Pakistani constituency and as a member of parliament of Pakistani heritage, I want to see Pakistan succeed. Especially democracy in Pakistan as well as freedom of the press and justice. The UN report on Imran Khan’s imprisonment should be a concern for all of us. We cannot stop this and we must continue to work in Parliament to ensure the development of Pakistan.