UN urges immediate release of Pakistan’s ex-PM Khan, calls detention arbitrary

A U.N. working group on Monday said former Pakistan Premier Imran Khan’s detention is arbitrary and in violation of international law, and should be released immediately.

In an opinion, the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention requested steps to “remedy the situation of Mr. Khan without delay,” which would be to release him “immediately and accord him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law.”

Khan came to power in 2018, and was removed in a no-confidence vote in 2022. Since then, hundreds of cases have been registered against him, ranging from corruption to terrorism.

He is in jail since last August and was convicted in three cases ahead of general elections in February, in which his party-backed candidates won the most seats but could not form a government.

Khan and his party allege the cases were politically motivated to keep him out of power.

He was sentenced to jail for the illegal acquisition and sale of state gifts (Toshakhana case), but this sentence has been suspended. Additionally, his sentence for leaking state secrets has been overturned. However, he remains in prison due to a conviction in an illegal marriage case and also faces charges related to the May 9 violence, when people stormed military installations following his initial arrest.

The working group said Khan’s arrest, detention, and prosecution in the first Toshakhana case, which said he concealed details of the state gifts he received and the cipher case, which alleged that he leaked a secret cable, were “without any legal basis” and appeared to be “politically motivated to exclude his participation in the election.”

Calling on Islamabad to publicize the U.N. report “as widely as possible,” it added that the government had not responded to its communication dated last November.

Emphasizing “no trial” of Khan “should have taken place,” the 17-page document noted: “Given his age, Mr. Khan is currently facing an effective sentence of life imprisonment.”

It called on Islamabad to “ensure a full and independent investigation of the circumstances surrounding the arbitrary deprivation of liberty of Khan and to take appropriate measures against those responsible for the violation of his rights.”