On August 5th, 2023, Imran Khan, the Former Prime Minister of Pakistan and the Chairman of the largest political party in the country, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), was sentenced to 3 years in a sham case where his fundamental right to a fair trial was violated. The people of Pakistan are concerned about his safety and security in prison, where he’s being kept in inhumane conditions and his life is under threat. Last year, he was the target of an assassination attempt and had named individuals in the government and intelligence agencies as responsible, but was not allowed to file a case.

The state has carried out a brutal reign of terror since assuming power in April 2022 and the repression has gained alarming intensity since May 9th, 2023, when after Imran Khan’s unlawful arrest, at least 8 protesters were killed and thousands of his workers were put in custody, with many still in captivity without being charged. Under this government, Arshad Sharif, a journalist critical of the regime, was murdered on October 23rd, 2022 and another, Imran Riaz Khan, is still missing. Custodial torture has been carried out, and there has been at least 1 death in custody due to torture. Most of Imran Khan's party, which is the only opposition party in Pakistan right now, has faced violent state crackdown. All of the PTI senior leadership is in jail or in hiding, with their homes attacked by law enforcement regularly. Children and family members have been arrested to coerce the leadership into leaving the party. Moreover, protests are unlawfully banned, and participants are picked up by law enforcement without due process. There is also a blanket ban on the media to report on these events. Court orders to release political prisoners have been ignored and judges have been coerced by the regime. 

All this is being done to derail Pakistan's democracy and delay national elections due before October 13th, 2023 as per Article 224 of the Constitution of Pakistan. Most recently, the government has hastily approved census results to delay elections beyond its constitutional term, and are also dissolving the government 2 days before their term ends to gain more time by bending constitutional rules. Already, elections in 2 provinces, which represents 70% of Pakistan's population of 240 million, have been delayed in violation of the Constitution despite clear directions from the Supreme Court of Pakistan to hold these elections on May 14th, 2023. There is now a clear danger that elections will be stalled indefinitely until the PTI party is cut to size and removed from the electoral arena, despite historical popularity.

For these reasons, we, the people of Pakistan, demand:

• The immediate release of Imran Khan and all political prisoners.
• Restoration of full civil rights including freedom of association, assembly and speech as guaranteed under Pakistan’s constitution and International Human Rights Conventions, to which Pakistan is a signatory.
• Free, fair, and timely elections as per the Constitution, before October 13th, 2023 where all parties are allowed to contest.