WASHINGTON: PTI leader Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari, a former aide to Imran Khan, is set to offer testimony on “political repression” in Pakistan before the a US Congressional commission.

The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission has convened a hearing at 12:30am Pakistan time on Wednesday (tomorrow) at the Rayburn House Office Building. It aims to examine Pakistan’s deepening restrictions on political opposition, media freedoms, and democratic governance. Co-chairs Representative Chris Smith (R–NJ) and Representative James P. McGovern (D–MA) framed the session as a response to an alarming democratic backslide.

Apart from Mr Bukhari, three other prominent voices will also be testifying. These include: Ben Linden of Amnesty International; Jared Genser of Perseus Strategies; and Sadiq Amini of the Afghanistan Impact Network.

Named for the late Congressman Tom Lantos—a Holocaust survivor and former chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee—the panel conducts bipartisan hearings to spotlight international human rights crises and guide US foreign policy.

Published in Dawn, July 15th, 2025