Daily Times

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has approached Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and other global forums against what “political victimisation, assassination attempts and attacks on PTI – the largest political party in Pakistan”. The letter has been written by Asad Qaiser – former National Assembly speaker – as he felt it was his responsibility to inform the various forums of the world about the “illegal policies and severe violations” of human rights by this “fascist government”, a private TV channel reported. Through his letter, the former speaker urged the global forums to take “urgent notice” of the situation and “play your role in protecting the people of Pakistan from the monster of political genocide, the annihilation of democracy and mayhem”.

“As [a] former speaker, [of] the National Assembly of Pakistan, I am compelled to reach out and inform you of the alarmingly violent situation in Pakistan, severe and grave violations of human rights including, abduction, assassination attempts, custodial torture, enforced disappearances, inhuman treatment and murder or eminent journalists and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) political workers, leaders, former and current Members of Parliament, including [the] former prime minister of Pakistan, the current Chairman Tehreek-Insaf, Mr. Imran Ahmed Niazi by the present PDM government in Pakistan in connivance with the law enforcement agencies,” he wrote.

Informing the global forums that the PTI is the most popular political party in Pakistan, Qaiser told the IPU that after heavy political horse trading in “peculiar” political circumstances, the party resigned from the Parliament to get a fresh mandate from the people of Pakistan. He claimed that despite being in an “oppressed opposition”, the PTI have won 30 out of 37 by-elections with more than a 50% margin against twelve political parties – which are a part of the coalition government.

“The current government in collaboration with two care-taker governments in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, have committed such heinous crimes to suppress political dissent by the PTI and have adopted such ignominious methods, that the basic tenets of decency, humanity and all international covenants on human rights are hanging by a tether,” the former speaker wrote. He went on to say that the “fake criminal complaint” was filed against Khan to force his way out of politics. This was followed by a “coordinated assassination attempt” on the life of Khan, wherein he sustained multiple bullet wounds and fractures along with 11 others that were injured and one passerby murdered. “Till date, he has not been allowed to exercise his constitutionally mandated right to induct the suspects involved and file a case against the accused persons in the attempted assassination of a former prime minister,” he mentioned. On November 3, Khan was shot on his leg – which he termed as an assassination attempt since then his supporters have surrounded his residence in Lahore with tents in the past few months to defend and protect their leader.