Washington, Dec 4 (IANS) Led by Indian American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and Congressman Greg Casar, as many as 42 top American lawmakers have urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take decisive action against what they described as a worsening campaign of “transnational repression” and systematic human rights violations in Pakistan.
Asserting that Pakistan is facing an escalating crisis of authoritarianism, where democratic institutions and fundamental freedoms are being systematically dismantled, the lawmakers on Wednesday (local time) said the United States has the responsibility and tools to hold Pakistan’s military leadership accountable.
“We urge the Administration to swiftly impose measures, such as visa bans and asset freezes, against officials credibly perpetrating systematic repression, transnational repression, and undermining judicial independence,” they wrote in the letter dated December 3.
“In recent years, US citizens and residents who have spoken out against authoritarian abuses in Pakistan have faced threats, intimidation, and harassment — often extending to their families in Pakistan,” the lawmakers wrote.
“These tactics include arbitrary detentions, coercion, and retaliatory violence, targeting diaspora individuals and their relatives. These actions infringe upon the right to freedom of expression (…), further, they set a dangerous precedent for foreign interference on US soil.”
The lawmakers said the moment demanded “concrete action” from the administration, including holding Pakistan’s powerful military leadership accountable and pressing for the release of political prisoners.
They warned that Pakistan’s democratic institutions were being dismantled, while critics — both inside and outside the country — were increasingly targeted.
“We urge you to swiftly impose targeted measures, including visa bans and asset freezes, against officials responsible for transnational repression, widespread human rights violations, and systematic repression in Pakistan,” they wrote.
“We have called out transnational repression in other countries before and will continue to do so; the same principled approach must be applied here.”
Citing cases involving Pakistani Americans and US residents, the lawmakers pointed to Virginia-based investigative journalist Ahmed Noorani, whose brothers were abducted, beaten, and detained in Islamabad after he published an article critical of military corruption.
His case, they noted, had been flagged by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and Amnesty International.
They also highlighted the case of Pakistani American musician Salman Ahmad, who “faced direct intimidation from the military, including threats to his family in both the United States and Pakistan.” His brother-in-law, they said, “was abducted and held without charge until the State Department and FBI intervened.”
According to the lawmakers, repression inside Pakistan has intensified sharply, with opposition leaders held without charge, journalists abducted or pushed into exile, and ordinary citizens arrested for social media posts. Women, minority communities, and ethnic groups — “particularly in Balochistan” — face disproportionate targeting.
These developments, they wrote, reflect “a calculated campaign to crush civil society and extinguish all challenges to military rule.”
They described Pakistan as facing “an escalating crisis of authoritarianism,” charging that the 2024 elections — condemned by civil society groups and flagged by the US State Department for irregularities — installed “a pliant civilian facade” under military pressure.
They further noted that Pakistan’s Supreme Court, acting under military influence, had authorised trying civilians in military courts, effectively eliminating judicial independence.
The lawmakers urged Rubio to consider measures such as visa bans and asset freezes under the Global Magnitsky Act, specifically raising questions about the role of Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, whom they called central to the crackdown.
They also asked whether President Trump raised human rights concerns during his meetings with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in September and with Munir in July.
The letter seeks clarification on what conditions would trigger sanctions, what steps are being taken to respond to threats against US residents, and how US engagement with Pakistan’s military will avoid appearing to endorse authoritarian practices.
“Such steps, alongside calls for the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and other political prisoners, would reinforce US commitment to human rights, protect American citizens from transnational repression, and promote regional stability,” they wrote.
Among the key signatories were Ro Khanna, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Rashida Tlaib, Jamie Raskin, Yvette D. Clarke, Madeleine Dean, Lloyd Doggett, Jan Schakowsky, Eric Swalwell, Bennie G. Thompson, Judy Chu, Zoe Lofgren, Sarah McBride, Summer Lee, Ilhan Omar, and Maxine Waters.
Imran Khan, Pakistan’s former prime minister, has been imprisoned since 2023 in a series of cases that his supporters and global watchdogs describe as politically motivated.
UN experts and international rights organisations have also raised concerns about the treatment of Baloch activists and the broader decline of civilian oversight in the country.
–IANS
lkj/sd/
