US, UK wash their hands off Imran Khan, want rule of law to be followed in Pakistan

New Delhi: The US and UK on Wednesday appeared to wash their hands off Imran Khan, calling for respect of democratic principles and the rule of law adhered to in Pakistan in the aftermath of former Pakistan Prime Minister’s arrest.

In a dramatic turn of events, Khan was on Tuesday arrested and bundled into a prison van by paramilitary Rangers from the Islamabad High Court, sparking massive protests across Pakistan by his supporters who stormed the army headquarters in Rawalpindi and the Corps Commander’s residence in Lahore.

Khan was undergoing a biometric process at the court when the paramilitary Rangers broke open the glass window and arrested him in a graft case.

The Islamabad High Court had on Tuesday termed the Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman’s arrest as “legal”.

At a joint news conference with his British counterpart, James Cleverly, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said they want rule of law to be followed in this South Asian country.

“I’ve seen the reports that that you’ve alluded to and we just want to make sure that whatever happens in Pakistan is consistent with the rule of law with the constitution showing,” Blinken said.

The two diplomats were responding to a question on reports of Khan’s arrest.

Cleverly said he has not yet had the opportunity to be briefed in detail on the developments on Pakistan.

“The UK has a long standing and close relationship with Pakistan. We are Commonwealth partners. We want to see peaceful democracy in that country. We want to see the rule of law adhered to. I’m uncomfortable to speculate any further without having a detailed briefing on that,” Cleverly said.

Earlier, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a daily news conference that the US does not have a position on one political candidate or party versus another.

“We are aware of the arrest of former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan. As we have said before, the United States does not have a position on one political candidate or party versus another,” she said while responding to questions on arrest of Khan in Pakistan.

“We call for the respect of democratic principles and the rule of law around the world. So I would refer you to the Government of Pakistan for any further information on that,” she added.

Pakistan’s National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had launched an investigation against Imran Khan, wife Bushra Bibi and others for the alleged gain of hundreds of canals of land in the name of Al Qadir University Trust, which reportedly caused a loss of 190 million pounds to the national exchequer.

As per the charges, the Khan and others accused allegedly adjusted Rs 50 billion – 190 million pounds at the time – sent by Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to the government.

Former PM Imran Khan had registered Trust for Al-Qadir University Project on 26 December, 2019.

With inputs from agencies

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