A purported audio, of Zoom meeting tape, between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and US Congresswoman Maxine Moore Waters has gone viral.
Former prime minister is heard pleading with US Congresswoman to express concern about Pakistan’s violations of human rights and the rule of law the recording.
The audio on Saturday comes at a time when Imran Khan and the government are at odds over a number of topics, including the violence that broke out following Khan’s incarceration in a corruption case.
A bench has been established by the PDM-led government to look into audio leaks involving SC judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa.
In the tape, Mr. Khan is heard pleading with Ms. Waters to speak out against human rights abuses in Pakistan. He informed her about the attempted assassination, the “best economic indicators” of the nation under his leadership, and the “unprecedented” human rights abuses being done by the current administration.
“It makes a lot of waves in our country when some like Maxine gives a statement,” he encouraged Ms. Waters.
Imran calls phone eavesdropping a “serious privacy breach”:
According to the PTI Chairman, “This is a serious violation of the right to privacy protected by Article 14 of the Constitution.”
He challenged the terms of reference established by the federal government on Twitter and demanded action. He also demanded that “not only should individuals who unlawfully get data through phone tapping and monitoring be held accountable, but also those who fabricate and tamper with various phone calls in order to disclose it on social media.”
Human Rights Watch requests government to free all demonstrators:
Human Rights Watch has urged Pakistani authorities to respect the rights of everyone jailed and free all individuals who were detained for participating in peaceful protests or standing with the political opposition. It stated that “many have been charged under ambiguous and expansive laws prohibiting rioting and posing threats to public order.”
Political opposition activists and nonviolent protestors should no longer be arbitrarily detained by the Pakistani government, according to Patricia Gossman, associate Asia director at Human Rights Watch. She said, “Anyone engaging in violence should be duly charged and have their due process rights respected.”
