‘Under Siege’: Diaspora Launches Campaign in US Against Human Rights Abuses, Fascism in Pakistan

The Pakistani diaspora has launched a campaign in United States against atrocities by the State, highlighting forced disappearances, ‘death’ of democracy and custodial torture.

The campaign called ‘Pakistan Under Siege’ has been floated by overseas supporters of Pakistan’s Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party with the slogan ‘Say No to State Violence’. The campaign will be launched in all Western countries to highlight human rights abuses and fascism in Pakistan.

The campaign will continue for a month and under it, several advertisements highlighting the violence will be beamed on trucks hired by the community and supporters.

The tag #PakistanUnderSiege is also trending on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to highlight the current political turmoil and human rights issues in Pakistan.

India’s neighbour has been in the throes of a political turmoil since former prime minister Imran Khan’s brief arrest this month sparked days of street protests freighted with anger at the powerful army perceived to have orchestrated his downfall.

Islamabad has labelled the violence “anti-state”, justifying huge roundups and the revival of army courts to try civilians who targeted government and military buildings. Rights monitors said authorities have detained thousands of supporters of Khan’s PTI party.

Since he was ousted from office, 70-year-old Khan has waged an unprecedented campaign of defiance against the powerful military establishment.

He accuses the top brass of orchestrating his downfall and even plotting a November assassination attempt in which he was shot in the leg, allegations that the army denies.

His arrest on graft charges at the Islamabad High Court came just hours after he repeated the claim and was seen by his party as a bid to quash support ahead of elections due no later than October.

(With AFP inputs)