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Over 40 US lawmakers have written to secretary of state Marco Rubio expressing concern of the “transnational repression and worsening human rights crisis in Pakistan under the military-backed government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir.”In a letter dated December 3, the lawmakers voiced concerns over “threats, intimidation, and harassment” of even US citizens and their families in Pakistan who spoke against the regime.
“We write to express urgent concern over the escalating campaign of transnational repression and worsening human rights crisis in Pakistan under the military-backed government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir,” the letter said.”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.1 These tactics include arbitrary detentions, coercion, and retaliatory violence, targeting diaspora individuals and their relatives,” it further said.The statement cited Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and said that Pakistan’s actions infringed upon the “right to freedom of expression” guaranteed under the same.
‘Foreign interference on US soil’
The lawmakers also apprehended “foreign interference on US soil” and sought “targeted measures, including visa bans and asset freezes, against officials responsible for transnational repression, widespread human rights violations, and systematic repression in Pakistan.”It also demanded a probe into the 2024 Pakistan elections questioning the integrity of the electoral process.”Pakistan is facing an escalating crisis of authoritarianism, where democratic institutions and fundamental freedoms are being systematically dismantled. The 2024 elections—widely condemned for irregularities and documented in the Pattan Report, an independent Pakistani civil society study monitoring election irregularities—installed a pliant civilian façade.10 The U.S. State Department echoed these concerns, publicly expressing alarm over reported irregularities and called for a full investigation into the electoral process,” the letter said.
