UK-based Khan supporters call for free, fair polls in Pakistan
London, United Kingdom – A crowd of about 200 people gathered outside the Houses of Parliament in London on Sunday, waving placards and green, black and red flags.
The chant “Aaj nahi, to kub? [If not today, then when?]echoed through speakers in Westminster, as popular Pakistani songs played in the background.
The rally was organized by members of Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), a political party founded in 1996 by former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan.
Concerned members of the Pakistani diaspora united with UK-based party members of Khan’s group calling for free and fair elections and a return to the rule of law.
Maliha*, a digital media specialist in his 30s, had never attended a political protest until Khan was removed from power in April last year.
Khan lost a no-confidence vote to his leadership after facing mounting pressure from his foreign policy, the declining economy and a resurgence of the Pakistani armed group Taliban.
Maliha drove more than three hours from her home in Cardiff, Wales, to attend the protest.
“It is the state of affairs in Pakistan at the moment, myself and others thought it was unjust and believe it is part of a foreign-backed drive to remove Khan Sahib. [Sir Khan] of power,” she told Al Jazeera.
Khan’s supporters quickly took to the streets of Pakistan after he was ousted, followed by his supporters abroad.
In May this year, Khan was arrested by Pakistan’s anti-corruption agency.
Thousands more took to the streets, and Pakistani police arrested and detained more than 4,000 people, including journalists, according to Human Rights Watch.
The military-backed government accused the protesters of attacking police and government buildings, as well as military assets and installations.
Khan has denied the allegations and has called for an independent investigation.
“In his 26 years in politics, Khan Sahib has never called for violence,” Maliha said, “so blaming him for inciting what is happening in the streets of Pakistan is unjust.”
In the UK, peaceful protests are protected by the European Convention on Human Rights.
On Sunday, one protester said: “Within Pakistan there is no freedom of expression under the new regime – so it is for the overseas Pakistanis to speak out… we are the only ones left with a voice.”
Maliha said the protesters wanted the British government to take action.
“We must raise our voices for the future of Pakistan, for the women who have been abused in detention by the current regime, for human rights violations and for a return to the rule of law,” she said.
Maliha cited the UK government’s pledge to promote and protect democracy and human rights abroad as part of its international development strategy.
“Western democracies always talk about the rule of law, about women’s rights, so why don’t they help now?” she asked.
Shehryar Fazli, a London-based political analyst and author, told Al Jazeera he saw no significant shift in the British approach to the Pakistani military “with whom it has pretty good relations”.
“I think there will certainly be concerns about the conditions for a free and fair election in October, but having said that, I don’t think the UK is interested in rocking the boat too much,” Fazli said.
Intolerance of dissent
While Khan supporters have been threatened, beaten and detained in Pakistan, the army also reportedly attacks relatives of protesters outside Pakistan.
“The way they target people abroad suggests that their tolerance for dissent has decreased significantly,” Fazli said.
In London, Sheikh Ahsan stood some distance from the rest of the protesting crowd. The retired naval officer who lives in Romford, Essex, told Al Jazeera that his son was detained in Lahore three weeks ago and beaten by Pakistani police for supporting Khan.
“The land is now owned by the military,” he said, adding that this hasn’t stopped him from taking a stand.
“I’m here to support Khan,” Ahsan said. “We ask the regime to release him and drop the false charges against him.”
Khan was released on May 12, but faces more than 100 charges of corruption and “terrorism”.
He has called for early elections to challenge the current government, one he says has been funded by foreign powers.
Fazli suggested that the military would be content to disqualify Khan from the upcoming October election.
“I don’t think they necessarily want to move forward with a lengthy prison sentence. This could upset his supporters again,” he noted.
“I think there is a new tactic now. If we can’t break Imran Khan, break the rest of the party, which they did quite successfully,” said Fazli.
More than 80 senior members of PTI have left the party in recent weeks.
The party’s mass exodus, Fazli suggested, was likely forced through forms of intimidation while party members were in detention.
“There is a dossier on everyone, especially on politicians. It’s probably the threat – we can lock you up for many, many years, or we can influence your businesses, seize your assets, go after your families – or do you want to completely withdraw from politics, or join the new party we are? help come about?”
If the PTI enters the October election weaker, with no chance of winning the election, then the election will go ahead, Fazli said.
But Pakistani politics has always been played out in backrooms in London, where political dissidents have found refuge and strength since Pakistan’s founding 76 years ago.