A briefing was held in Parliament by British MPs to review the political crisis and human rights violations in Pakistan. The meeting was organized by the recently formed Friends Democratic Pakistan UK . During the briefing, Friends Democratic Pakistan United Kingdom highlighted concerns about the threats to democracy in Pakistan, enforced disappearances and the trial of civilians in military courts. The briefing was chaired by British MP James Firth, which was attended by about a dozen members, including political activists including Jeremy Corbyn, Naz Shah, Preet Kaur and Andrew Pax, founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and former officials who suffered state repression during the government of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Friends Democratic Pakistan United Kingdom founder Safina Faisal stressed the need to hold the military establishment accountable for violations of international law in Pakistan. She highlighted the illegal arrests and detentions of political workers, journalists, women, and Describing the plight of those who exposed the atrocities, Safina Faisal said that the massacre of peaceful protesters, enforced disappearances and trials of civilians in military courts are worrying and need to be addressed immediately. PTI leader Zulfi Bukhari and former special assistant to Imran Khan, who participated in the briefing, provided gruesome details of the alleged killing of protesters in the country’s capital, Islamabad, on November 26, in which they claimed that 100 people had lost their lives.
Zulfi Bukhari also referred to the UN report in the briefing, which described Imran Khan’s arrest as illegal and his mistreatment in prison as inhumane. Safina Faisal, who is considered a UK-based businesswoman, said that the most difficult stage for her was the attack on PTI leader Dr. Yasmin Rashid’s car by the police. She said that she is concerned about the treatment she is being treated with. In the UK, we are treated as human beings, which we are used to. Therefore, when I see the treatment of people in Pakistan, my heart cries tears of blood. In the briefing, Zulfi Bukhari alleged that state coercion was used on workers to suppress the voice of PTI, in which videos were also used to harass leaders. During Imran Khan’s tenure, Accountability Advisor and Special Assistant Shahzad Akbar also highlighted the issue of targeting Pakistanis living in the UK in the briefing. She also provided details about the harassment of her family. Speaking about the Pakistani government gaining power through rigging elections and changing the judicial system, he said that this is not just political opposition but also tantamount to ending democratic traditions. During the briefing, Lord Daniel Hannan expressed concern over the martial law-like situation in Pakistan.