Rumors are circulating on different media platforms suggesting that the United Kingdom (UK) has strongly demanded Pakistan to release PTI founder Imran Khan from jail as soon as possible.
These rumors are based on a hearing held on Tuesday in the House of Lords Committee Room, attended by nearly two dozen UK Members of Parliament, who called for Khan’s immediate release. However, it’s important to note that while the hearing has official status, it does not represent the stance of the UK government. Therefore, it would be inaccurate to state that the UK government has demanded Pakistan to release Imran Khan.
According to details, the demand for Khan’s release was made at a hearing in the House of Lords Committee Room focused on the erosion of democratic norms in Pakistan and the “illegal incarceration” of the former prime minister. The hearing was jointly convened by Labour MP for Bradford West Naz Shah and Conservative Peer Lord Hannan of Kingsclere.
Guest speakers included Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari, who serves as Imran Khan’s International Affairs Adviser, PTI candidate in the 2024 Pakistani general election Meher Bano Qureshi, and Sarwar Bari, founder of Pattan Development. The hearing was attended by over 22 parliamentarians from major UK parties, including former Leader of the Conservative Party and Cabinet Minister Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP, former Home Secretary Priti Patel MP, former Security Minister Baroness Neville-Jones, former Minister of State in the Foreign Office Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, and former Conservative Party Chairwoman and Foreign Office Minister Baroness Warsi. Newly elected independent MPs Shockat Adam, Barrister Ayoub Khan, Iqbal Mohammad, and Labour’s Naushabah Khan were also present. PTI UK’s leader Jahanzeb Khan and four other office bearers were in attendance as well.
The hearing concluded with a resolution that parliamentarians will call on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy for the UK government to take note of the recent United Nations report on former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s incarceration, demand his immediate release, and advocate for the restoration of democracy in Pakistan.
