The People of Pakistan Demand an Immediate FREE and FAIR Election following a Coup d’etat

We, the people of Pakistan, call on to people and democracies all over the world to stand with us in our struggle to gain back our right of self-determination. We rejected Imperial Colonialism decades ago and we now reject Neocolonialism of today.

We did not elect the current government. We did not vote for Shehbaz Sharif as the Prime Minister or the various politicians currently running our country. Dismayingly, 24 out of 36 members of the current federal cabinet, including the installed Prime Minister are on bail for various crimes. 

Our elected Prime Minister (PM) is Mr. Imran Khan of Pakistan Tehreek Insaaf (PTI) party. The man we had elected was ousted from his position by a Vote of No-Confidence (VNC) in the Parliament that took place on April 9, 2022. This plot succeeded by 3 votes after two of the PTI coalition​ partners ( Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-MQM) joined the opposition alliance.  We have reasons to believe that the coalition that ousted the Prime Minister was not organic but put together by external forces.  

( August 2023 The Intercept published the evidence of the US coup. See the article here) 

Prior to this, the following events occurred: 

1. US Charge d’Affairs in Pakistan (Angela Aggeler) met separately with the leaders of the opposition and the military.
2. US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu issued a threat to the Pakistani Ambassador on March 7, 2022.
3. US message conveyed verbatim to the foreign office in Pakistan through a diplomatic cipher sent by Pakistan’s Ambassador (the contents of this cipher are protected under the Official Secrets Act).
4. The cipher was initially hidden from the Foreign Minister and the PM. 
5. It referenced the upcoming VNC against the PM and threatened consequences for Pakistan if this vote fails. The message to remove Imran Khan as the PM was clearly directed towards Pakistan’s military leadership.
6. National Security Committee (NSC) met on March 31, 2022, to discuss this, and its findings are as follows (document enclosed)
7. Pakistan foreign office issued a strong demarche to the US through diplomatic channels on March 31, 2022 

Based on the information available, we are convinced that Pakistan has suffered a "Soft Coup" at the behest of the USA. No investigation into the Coup has taken place.  

We strongly support the procedural actions by the previous Deputy Speaker on grounds of foreign interference, and stand with our ex-PM’s decision to dissolve his own government and call new elections. We condemn that, instead of supporting our right to elect our government, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) twistingly labelled the ex-PM’s call for elections as an act of “Constitutional Coup.”

We are concerned about the Supreme Court’s “suo moto” interference in the affairs of the parliament by overriding decisions of the Deputy Speaker and the President, and forcing the VNC to topple our elected government.

Despite its ruling on continuing the fixed VNC, the Supreme Court has not supplied a reasoned judgment to date in spite of our repeated demands. The court has not allowed a review application by PTI. It is an established fact that it continued to remain shut when PTI made applications but was able to open the courts for the opposing party if and when needed – even at midnight and on a Sunday!

We raised concerns about the elements of bias that existed in the Supreme Court. For instance, the relationships between the Chief Justice and PMLN (opposition party). A letter was written but there's been no response. 

Currently, our country is effectively functioning outside of its constitution, with no accountability by the Supreme Court for all the lawlessness. The situation of the country is deteriorating rapidly.

Here is a look at some of the changes since this new government was imposed:

1. Grave despotism and tyranny

2. Open and brutal violence against peaceful protestors

3. Suspicious sudden deaths of people investigating the money laundering crimes of the current ruling elite, or witnesses to those crimes

4.National Accountability Bureau (NAB) law amended, effectively decimating the legislation against corruption and paving way for dismissal of money laundering cases against current government officials.  

5.  Clamp down on press freedom. State harassment of journalists

6. Government halts projects to support the poor

7. Runaway Inflation: Rising prices of gas, petrol, electricity, sugar, flour, cooking oil etc.

8. Continuous electric load shedding (rolling blackouts)

9. 40,000 factories at risk for closing

10. Drastic currency devaluation 

11. Pakistan moving towards bankruptcy  

12.  Stock market in rapid downward spiral

13. Moody’s Investors’ outlook rating downgraded to negative 

A few weeks after his ouster, Mr Imran Khan wrote to President Arif Alvi about his concerns related to this ‘externally-engineered VNC’, requesting public inquiry. The President has written to the Supreme Court asking for Judicial Commission Review. To date, there is no response from the Supreme Court. 

We attempted to protest against the injustices done to us as a population. We are 229 million people with many in dire poverty who have been subjected to worsening circumstances because of this US-sponsored Regime Change. 

We protested in millions in multiple Jalsas (rallies) in a number of cities (Peshawar​, Karachi​, Lahore​, Mianwali​, Abbotabad​, Jhelum​, Attock​, Mardan​, Sialkot​, Faisalabad,​ Swabi​, Kohat,​ Gujranwala, and Multan .  Mainstream media coverage was severely restricted and did not cover our protests.  We took to social media to be heard. 

We then headed to #Islamabad the capital of Pakistan ( 25.5.2022) in Long March to demand our civil rights. Unfortunately, our human rights were violated. We were brutally beaten and innocent men, women and children were tear gassed with a banned chemical weapon in warfare ( tear gas shells). Thousands of people were threatened, detained, manhandled, arrested or tortured. Counter terrorism laws misused to squelch protests. The media censored our voices.

The footage is presented here. The current interior minister had threatened to kill those of us who attempt to protest again. 

We have not been assisted by our military who, for reasons unknown to us, refuses to address the facts of the matter. We love and respect our military, yet they failed us all in our hour of need. The top generals have declared themselves to be “neutral”, yet their involvement is obvious. They brought out the armed forces to join hands with police to tear gas and disrupt our peaceful protests!

We Pakistanis believe in independence. We believe in freedom our founders worked so hard to give us.   We do not want an imposed government serving neocolonial agendas.  We do not want our territory to be used to wage foreign wars. Pakistanis have paid a high price in the War on Terror. We've sacrificed our soldiers and innocent men, women and children. We therefore now ask for freedom from the chains of oppression inflicted upon us by western powers. We are no longer slaves. We are free men, women and children. It is our democratic right to decide our future. For this we demand a free and fair general election under International Monitors to avoid rigging. We have evidence to show that systematic efforts are already underway to rig the next election.

We, the people of Pakistan, therefore DEMAND AN IMMEDIATE  FREE and FAIR ELECTION  to determine our future Prime Minister, and liberation from this unjust Coup. We again call upon all the democracies and citizens of the world to stand with us to reject oppression,racism and colonialism in all its forms.   

Regards 

The People of Pakistan 

Quotes from our Founding Fathers 

“It is only with united effort and faith in our destiny that we shall be able to translate the Pakistan of our dreams into reality.” - Muhammad Ali Jinnah

“Democracy is in the blood of the Muslims, who look upon complete equality of mankind, and believe in fraternity, equality, and liberty.” - Muhammad Ali Jinnah

“The weak and the defenseless in this world invite aggression from others. The best way we can serve peace is by removing the temptation from the path of those who think we are weak and, for that reason, they can bully or attack us. That temptation can only be removed if we make ourselves so strong that nobody dare entertain any aggressive designs against us. Pakistan has come to stay and no power on earth can destroy it.” Muhammad Ali Jinnah

“Rise above sectional interests and private ambitions... Pass from matter to spirit. Matter is diversity; spirit is light, life and unity.”  Allama Muhammad Iqbal

ghulami mein na kaam aati hain shamshiren na tadbiren

jo ho zauq-e-yaqin paida to kat jati hain zanjiren - Allama Muhammad Iqbal

Translation: 

In slavery neither swords nor schemes are of use

The chains are broken when the Trust within is awakened