Daily Times

The United States has urged Pakistani authorities to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the PTI protesters’ right to demonstrate peacefully, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Tuesday. As the PTI convoys from various parts of the country are enroute Islamabad to demand the release of its incarcerated founder Imran Khan, the federal government has vowed to not let them reach their desired destination in the capital, D-Chowk. Containers and barbed wires have been strategically placed to impede PTI supporters, while heavy police deployments indicate that the authorities are determined to use force, if need be. In the State Department briefing earlier today, Miller was asked to comment on the PTI supporters’ protest as well as their reported clashes with the police. “In Pakistan and around the world, we support freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association,” the spokesperson said. “We call on protesters to demonstrate peacefully and refrain from violence, and at the same time, we call on Pakistani authorities to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, and to ensure respect for Pakistan’s laws and constitution, as they work to maintain law and order.”