Ilhan Omar, a Muslim Congress member in the United States, has expressed growing concerns over the increasing repression leading up to Pakistan’s upcoming general elections. She has highlighted a noticeable crackdown on opposition political figures, raising alarms about the deteriorating human rights situation in the country.
Within Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, there is a palpable sense of unease amid a significant surge in the arrests of opposition candidates. As the elections approach, Ilhan Omar, through her social media platform, has called for a commitment to ensuring free and fair elections in Pakistan. She specifically voiced apprehension regarding the intensified crackdown on a prominent political party, emphasizing that genuine democratic elections cannot take place when opposition parties are targeted and criminalized.
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It’s worth noting that Ilhan Omar visited Pakistan in mid-2022, engaging with key figures such as Imran Khan, the founder of PTI, President Alvi, and other government members. During her visit, she also held discussions with then-Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, underlining the enduring ties between Islamabad and Washington.
Prior to this, several Democrats in the House of Representatives had urged the State Department to launch an investigation into human rights violations within Pakistan. The situation underscores a broader international concern about the state of democracy and human rights in the lead-up to Pakistan’s general elections.