Representational image
Representational image
Amid ongoing political crisis in cash-strapped Pakistan, US Representative Michelle Steel has voiced concern about Shehbaz Sharif government being “engaged in human rights abuses and oppression of dissent”.
In a tweet, Steel called upon US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to “take appropriate diplomatic steps to preserve democracy in Pakistan”.
“I share the concerns of many of my colleagues that the government of Pakistan is engaged in human rights abuses and oppression of dissent. I join calls for Secretary Blinken to take appropriate diplomatic steps to preserve democracy in Pakistan,” she tweeted.
This comes after over 60 US lawmakers highlighted issues related to human rights violations in Pakistan in a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and urged him to exert pressure on the Pakistani government to address the issue.
The letter, co-authored by Elissa Slotkin and Brian Fitzpatrick, and signed by 65 other lawmakers, was written after the efforts of the Pakistani-American Political Action Committee (PAKPAC), Geo News reported.
Pakistan recently witnessed the “illegal” arrest of former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan, who was deposed as prime minister through a no-confidence move in April last year.
Khan was arrested on May 9 amid deadly protests across the country. The former PM was detained in the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case, but was later released after the Supreme Court of Pakistan declared his arrest against the law.
(With inputs from agencies)
Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,
India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.