60 American lawmakers ask Biden to push for Imran Khan’s release

Over 60 democratic lawmakers of the United States House of Representatives called on US President Joe Biden in a letter to use Washington’s leverage with Pakistan to secure the release of incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan.

The lawmakers, on Wednesday, wrote a letter to Joe Biden, noting: “We write today to urge you to use the United States’ substantial leverage with Pakistan’s government to secure the release of political prisoners, including former Prime Minister Khan, and curtail widespread human rights abuses.”

Pakistan government denied any such unfair treatment toward the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, in Adiala Jail Rawalpindi.

Meanwhile, the State Council today, while appearing before Islamabad High Court, stated that the Punjab government imposed a ban on meeting lawyers with Imran Khan in Adiala Jail Rawalpindi amidst security concerns, following that meeting between Khan and lawyers could not be possible.

Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan responded to the State Council, saying: “Is there a ban on lawyers meeting him? If the Punjab government has prohibited the meeting of the lawyers, it would have committed contempt of court; whoever issued this notification has also committed contempt of court.”

However, later in the day, it was reported that Adiala Jail authorities had arranged for a meeting between Imran Khan and lawyers Salman Akram Raja, Faisal Fareed Chaudhary and Shoaib Shaheen.