WASHINGTON– Forty-two U.S. lawmakers, led by Indian American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and Congressman Greg Casar, have called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take forceful action against what they described as a worsening campaign of transnational repression and systemic human rights abuses in Pakistan.
In a letter dated December 3, the lawmakers warned that Pakistan is facing “an escalating crisis of authoritarianism,” claiming that democratic institutions and fundamental freedoms are being systematically dismantled. They argued that the United States has both a responsibility and the tools to hold Pakistan’s powerful military leadership accountable.
“We urge the Administration to swiftly impose measures, such as visa bans and asset freezes, against officials credibly perpetrating systematic repression, transnational repression, and undermining judicial independence,” the lawmakers wrote.
They said U.S. citizens and residents who criticize Pakistan’s military establishment have faced threats, intimidation, and harassment, often extending to their families in Pakistan. These tactics, they wrote, include arbitrary detentions, coercion, and retaliatory violence. Such actions, they said, undermine freedom of expression and set “a dangerous precedent for foreign interference on U.S. soil.”
The letter called for “concrete action,” urging the administration to hold Pakistan’s military leadership accountable and push for the release of political prisoners. They warned that Pakistan’s democratic institutions are being “dismantled,” while critics inside and outside the country are increasingly targeted.
Citing individual cases, the lawmakers pointed to Virginia-based investigative journalist Ahmed Noorani, whose brothers were abducted and beaten in Islamabad after he published reporting on alleged military corruption. They also referenced Pakistani American musician Salman Ahmad, whose family members were allegedly threatened or detained until U.S. authorities intervened.
The lawmakers said repression inside Pakistan has escalated sharply, with opposition leaders jailed without charge, journalists abducted or forced into exile, and ordinary citizens arrested for social media posts. Women, minorities, and ethnic communities — particularly in Balochistan — face disproportionate persecution, they said.
They described these developments as part of “a calculated campaign to crush civil society and extinguish all challenges to military rule,” arguing that Pakistan’s 2024 elections, criticized by civil society groups and flagged by the U.S. State Department for irregularities, resulted in “a pliant civilian facade” under military control.
The letter also raised concerns about Pakistan’s Supreme Court authorizing civilian trials in military courts, calling it a move that undermines judicial independence.
The lawmakers urged Rubio to consider sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act and specifically questioned the role of Chief of Army Staff Gen. Asim Munir, whom they described as central to the crackdown. They also asked whether President Trump raised human rights concerns in his meetings with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in September and with Munir in July.
The letter requested clarification on what circumstances would trigger U.S. sanctions, what steps are being taken to protect U.S. residents from transnational repression, and how engagement with Pakistan’s military will avoid appearing to endorse authoritarian practices.
“Such steps, alongside calls for the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and other political prisoners, would reinforce U.S. commitment to human rights, protect American citizens from transnational repression, and promote regional stability,” they wrote.
Among the signatories were Ro Khanna, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Rashida Tlaib, Jamie Raskin, Lloyd Doggett, Eric Swalwell, Maxine Waters, Jan Schakowsky, Ilhan Omar, Judy Chu, Zoe Lofgren, Sarah McBride, Yvette D. Clarke, and others.
Imran Khan, Pakistan’s former prime minister, has been jailed since 2023 in cases widely described by his supporters and international watchdogs as politically motivated. UN experts and rights groups have also raised concerns about abuses against Baloch activists and the broader erosion of civilian oversight in Pakistan. (Source: IANS)
