Khan’s detention arbitrary, violates international law: UN rights group

Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan’s detention is arbitrary and in violation of international law, a UN human rights working group said in an opinion issued on Monday, adding the jailed politician should be released immediately.
Khan’s “detention had no legal basis and appears to have been intended to disqualify him from running for political office”, the working group concluded.
“Thus, from the outset, that prosecution was not grounded in law and was reportedly instrumentalised for a political purpose,” it said in the opinion, which was dated on March 25 but only made public on Monday.
The Geneva-based working group, made up of five independent experts, whose opinions are not binding but carry reputational weight, called on Pakistan’s government to “take the steps necessary to remedy the situation of Mr Khan without delay and bring it into conformity with the relevant international norms”.
“The appropriate remedy would be to release Mr Khan immediately and accord him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law,” they added.
The UN working group said Khan’s legal woes were part of a “much larger campaign of repression” against him and his Pakistan Tehree-e-Insaf (PTI) party. It said that in the lead up to the 2024 elections, members of Khan’s party were arrested and tortured and their rallies were disrupted. It also alleged “widespread fraud on Election Day, stealing dozens of parliamentary seats.”
The Pakistani embassy in Washington had no immediate comment. Pakistan’s election commission denies that the elections were rigged.
Khan, who served as prime minister from 2018-2022, has been entangled in more than 200 legal cases since he was ousted, in what he says is a campaign to keep him from power.
In recent months, Pakistani courts have suspended Khan’s jail sentences in two cases about the illegal acquisition and sale of state gifts, and also overturned his conviction on charges of leaking state secrets.
However, he has remained in prison due to a conviction in another case in which a trial court ruled that his 2018 marriage was unlawful. Khan also faces a trial under anti-terrorism charges in connection with violence in May last year even though he was in detention at the time and didn’t know about the events.
Khan came to power in 2018 and was ousted in 2022 after falling out with Pakistan’s powerful military. He alleged the US and Pakistani military played a role in his ousting through a parliamentary no-confidence vote. Both deny the accusations.
Analysts have said Pakistan’s powerful military, which ruled directly for decades and still wields immense power, is likely behind the slew of cases.
Khan was ousted by a parliamentary no-confidence vote after falling out with the top generals who had once backed him.
He then waged an unprecedented campaign of defiance in opposition against them and accused top officers of conspiring in an assassination attempt in which he was shot during a political rally in November 2022. Khan’s brief arrest in May 2023 sparked nationwide unrest, which in turn prompted a sweeping crackdown against the PTI and its senior leaders.
Despite not running himself, candidates backed by Khan defied all expectations to secure the highest number of seats, but the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) formed a coalition government.
The US, Britain and the European Union expressed concern about reported irregularities in the elections and urged a probe while United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern about violence and the suspension of mobile communications services during the elections.
Neither Pakistan’s interior nor information ministry immediately responded to a request for comment.
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party meanwhile hailed the ruling as “a huge victory”.
“It has shown without any one percent of doubt that Imran Khan is innocent and has been thrown into prison illegally,” PTI spokesman Syad Zulfiqar Bukhari said in a statement.