US lawmaker Ilhan Omar raises concerns over crackdown on PTI. US Representative Ilhan Omar has raised alarm over a perceived increase in repression ahead of Pakistan’s general elections, citing a growing crackdown on opposition political leaders.
The situation has cast a shadow of despondency within the ranks of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, marked by the continuous arrests of opposition candidates.
In a recent social media post, Omar called for the ensuring of free and fair polls in Pakistan, asserting that true democratic processes cannot unfold when one of the opposition parties is subjected to criminalization.
Also read: PTI supporters harass PML-N’s Hina Parvez Butt in London (VIDEO)
She shared a news report shedding light on the troubling developments in the lead-up to the elections.
Omar’s concerns come on the heels of her visit to Pakistan in mid-2022, during which she engaged with key figures, including PTI founder Imran Khan, President Alvi, and other government officials.
Since my colleagues and I raised our concerns about human rights in Pakistan last November, things have only gotten worse. There can’t be free and fair elections when one of the opposition parties has been criminalized.https://t.co/ZG8giXTjVM
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) February 4, 2024
Notably, she also met with then-Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, emphasizing the enduring ties between Islamabad and Washington.
As US lawmaker Ilhan Omar raises concerns over crackdown on PTI, several Democrats in the House of Representatives had also urged the State Department to launch an investigation into reported human rights abuses within Pakistan.
