The United States (US) has urged Pakistan to respect the human rights of prisoners including PTI Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan’s. Addressing a news briefing in Washington on Thursday, US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel was responding when asked “Is the US at all concerned about the safety and security of Imran Khan in jail – has the US shown any concerns at all?” Vedant Patel said “So our message continues to be clear to our partners in Pakistan that anybody held in detention should be [afforded] human rights consistent with international law and that continues to be the case here.

I will let Pakistan speak about any other details as it relates to Imran Khan’s case.” To another query about “any threats” to democracy in Pakistan, Patel said “There is a caretaker prime minister and government put in place in Pakistan. We look forward to continuing to partner with Pakistan on a number of issues, but especially as they gear up for elections to take place in the forthcoming time. So I will just leave it at that.” It is pertinent to mention here that on August 5, the District and Sessions Court in Islamabad had awarded three-year jail term to Imran Khan in Toshakhana criminal case. The court had also imposed Rs100,000 fine on the convicted PTI chief, declaring the former prime minister ineligible to hold public office for five years.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)