New Delhi: British MP Jeremy Corbyn is the latest in the list of politicians calling for the release of jailed former Pakistan PM Imran Khan. Pakistanis are convinced that Khan has brought both the Left and the Right political parties together in the world.
After US Republicans Richard Grenell and Ro Khanna tweeted about Khan’s release, former Labour party chief, Corbyn has now tweeted, calling Khan’s “disgraceful treatment an affront to the democratic rights of the people of Pakistan”.
This is not the first time. Calls for Khan’s release from prominent international politicians and diplomats have been growing in the recent past.
Figures such as British MP George Galloway, former Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf, and former diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad also called for the PTI leader’s release.
Following pleas from Khan’s ex-wife Jemima Goldsmith, figures like Richard Branson, Jeffrey Skoll, and Lawrence Brilliant joined the call. Additionally, organisations such as the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and Amnesty International have raised concerns, with the former declaring Khan’s detention unlawful and the latter urging his immediate release from pre-trial detention.
Earlier in October this year, over 60 US lawmakers urged President Joe Biden to pressure Pakistan to release all political prisoners, including Khan. In a letter, they expressed concerns over human rights violations and criticised state-led efforts to suppress PTI supporters, the detention of political leaders and activists, and Khan’s continued imprisonment. The lawmakers also called on Biden to impose visa bans and freeze assets of Pakistani officials responsible for human rights abuses.
Case of conflicts
Analysts, however, are skeptical. Columnist Durdana Najam asserts that PTI’s external outreach does not align with the party’s anti-imperialist stand and its nationalist rhetoric. Khan had himself blamed the US for his ouster as the Pakistani PM in 2022 in a purported cipher case.
“It exposes Pakistan’s political disputes to international scrutiny, potentially eroding the country’s sovereignty. By involving external actors in its domestic affairs, the PTI sets a precedent that could be exploited by rival political factions or foreign powers to further their agendas. Second, this reliance on the US—a country often criticised for its selective approach to democracy and human rights—risks creating a perception of inconsistency and opportunism within the PTI’s ranks,” she wrote in Express Tribune, earlier this week.
Pakistan Supreme Court lawyer Faisal Chaudhry disagrees with Najam. The lawyer who has represented Khan in several cases said that the rising support is due to Khan’s popularity, since he is one of the few Pakistani politicians well-known internationally, and has the unwavering support of the Pakistani diaspora, who are influential in their communities and vocally advocate for these causes.
“When state institutions such as courts fail to dispense justice, the calls across the globe echo. It is unfortunate that the incumbent government of Pakistan edifice its survival on fear factor and it benefits from the on-going tussle between powerful establishment and Tehreek e Insaf and it is not ready to address core issues instead preferring to increase the prevailing chaos vis a vis politics, economy and law order,” Chaudhry told ThePrint.
Meanwhile, the ruling government does not seem pleased with these developments.
Pakistan Defence Minister Asif Khawaja has accused Khan of wanting to return to power “riding on America’s shoulders”, Express Tribune reported. “If any foreign hand attempts to support the PTI, Pakistan will defend itself,” the minister added during a press conference in London.
Also read: Imran Khan’s party expects Jaishankar to save Pakistan democracy. And Modi to free him
Uniting Left and Right
Pakistanis can’t help but notice a pattern. Khan, uniting both the Left and the Right.
Pakistani X user Kanye East took Corbyn’s tweet as the ultimate representation of the Horseshoe theory, which is a political theory that asserts that both far Right and far Left members are actually similar to each other.
“The ultimate vindication of Horseshoe Theory is Corbyn and MAGA camp both repping Imran Khan Niazi,” the user wrote to which another user responded, “constipated anti-imperialism meets america-first isolationism”.
Well this is nothing in comparison to the very concerning news coming from UK nowadays.
Various news channels have been reporting that the UK Muslims are demanding imposition of sharia law. Also, they want the freedom (as permitted in Islam) to have four wives and also the liberty to divorce through triple talaq.
The Labour Party, under Keir Starmer (and formerly Jeremy Corbyn) has been tacitly encouraging the Muslims to aggressively demand for their “Islamic rights”.