US Congress urges Pakistan to uphold democratic institutions, human rights, and rule of law

WASHINGTON: The United States (US) House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a resolution urging the government of Pakistan to uphold democratic institutions, human rights, and the rule of law, ARY News reported.

A total of 368 members voted in favour of the House Resolution HR 901, titled ‘Expressing support for democracy and human rights in Pakistan’. Seven members voted against it.

The resolution — passed with 85 per cent of House members participating and 98pc voting in its favour — affirmed its strong support for democracy in Pakistan, including free and fair elections reflecting the will of the people of Pakistan.

The HR 901 urged US President Joe Biden to collaborate with the Government of Pakistan in upholding democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.

It also urged Islamabad to uphold democratic institutions, human rights, and the rule of law, and respect the fundamental guarantees of due process, freedom of press, freedom of assembly, and freedom of speech of the people of Pakistan;

Meanwhile, the resolution also condemned attempts to suppress the people of Pakistan’s participation in their democracy, including through harassment, intimidation, arbitrary detention, or any violation of their human, civil, or political rights. It also condemned any effort to subvert the political, electoral, or judicial processes of Pakistan.

Pakistan held general elections on February 8 with independent candidates backed by former PTI winning most of the seats. However, PML-N and PPP formed an alliance to keep Imran Khan’s party out of power.

The opposition parties have alleged rigging in the elections – a claim which was rejected by the caretaker administration, which conducted the polls.

Pakistan’s reaction

Reacting to the move, Pakistan said that resolution 901 passed by the US House of Representatives was neither constructive nor objective for showing a lack of understanding of its political situation and electoral process.

In response to media queries, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that they have taken note of it.

“We believe that the timing and context of this particular resolution does not align well with the positive dynamics of our bilateral ties, and stems from an incomplete understanding of the political situation and electoral process in Pakistan,” she remarked.

The spokesperson said that Pakistan, as the world’s second-largest parliamentary democracy and fifth-largest democracy overall, was committed to the values of constitutionalism, human rights and rule of law in pursuance of its own national interest.

The spokesperson said that Pakistan believed in constructive dialogue and engagement based on mutual respect and understanding.

“Such resolutions are therefore neither constructive nor objective. We hope that the U.S Congress will play a supportive role in strengthening Pakistan-U.S ties and focus on avenues of mutual collaboration that benefit both our peoples and countries,” she added.