LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan says the international community must raise its voice against gross violations of human rights as well as the protection and upholding of democratic norms in Pakistan.

Mr Khan was speaking in a meeting with acting British High Commissioner to Pakistan Andrew Dalgleish and acting deputy high commissioner Zoe Ware, who called on him at his Zaman Park residence on Monday.

The meeting discussed bilateral issues besides PTI’s vision of democratic stability, upholding of the Constitution and the rule of law.

The British High Commissionr delegation endorsed the need to promote and strengthen democracy in Pakistan. As the meeting also discussed grave violations of human rights and the concern being shown at the international level, Mr Khan said the upholding of the constitution and rule of law was the basic point of its political agenda.

“The democracy has its strong foundations in the promotion and protection of basic human rights,” he added.

The PTI chief said his party believed in taking the political process forward and driving the country out of the plethora of political and economic crises based on public opinion.

“The rulers are busy in gross human rights violations to deprive masses of their right to franchise,” he asserted.

Mr Khan said the rulers were also attacking and desecrating the freedom of speech to the right of human respect and damaging the whole constitutional scheme. In a tweet earlier, Mr Khan warned that Pakistan was at a crossroads in its constitutional history where it could become Turkiye or become another Myanmar.

“Today we stand at a turning point in our Constitutional history where we can be like Turkiye or become another Myanmar.”

He stressed that everyone must choose whether they were standing, as PTI does, with the constitution, the rule of law and democracy; or with a corrupt mafia, law of the jungle and fascism.

IFTAR: Earlier, Mr Khan had iftar along with party leaders and workers staying in camps outside his Zaman Park residence.

Speaking to party workers, Mr Khan said PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif had money, but no respect among masses.

“Nawaz Sharif lives in the most expensive area of London, but faces abuses from the public on daily basis,” he said and added that Sharif and his family could not freely move around on city roads. He said only Allah decides about one’s respect in society and not wealth.

Published in Dawn, April 4th, 2023