44 US lawmakers accuse Munir and Shehbaz of 'military-backed repression' in Pakistan, demand Imran Khan's release

File photo of Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (R) and country's army chief, General Asim Munir.

In an unprecedented move from Washington, 44 lawmakers in the United States Congress have directly confronted Pakistan’s military establishment for its tightening control over politics, civil liberties, and dissidents at home and abroad. The letter, led by Democratic Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and Congressman Greg Casar, signals a growing willingness on Capitol Hill to publicly hold Pakistan’s generals responsible for what is described as systematic repression.

Addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the lawmakers accuse the administration in Islamabad of operating as a military-run system controlled by Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir. They wrote that they were raising an “urgent concern over the escalating campaign of transnational repression and worsening human rights crisis in Pakistan under the military-backed government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir.”

Why has Washington not punished Munir?

One of the strongest takeaways from the letter is a direct question: why has the United States not sanctioned Munir despite well-documented evidence of political persecution. The lawmakers ask why the Trump administration failed to impose Global Magnitsky sanctions or visa restrictions on Pakistan’s army chief.

They urge immediate action, saying that the United States must “swiftly impose measures, such as visa bans and asset freezes, against officials credibly perpetrating systematic repression, transnational repression, and undermining judicial independence.”

Pakistan accused of rigged elections and disappearances

The letter sharply criticises Pakistan’s 2024 general elections, arguing that the military manipulated the entire process to install a puppet civilian government. Citing independent civil society research, the lawmakers point to the Pattan Report as evidence of a falsified electoral exercise.

According to the text, “The 2024 elections... installed a pliant civilian facade. The US State Department echoed these concerns, publicly expressing alarm over reported irregularities and called for a full investigation into the electoral process. These developments are emblematic of a broader authoritarian crackdown. Under military pressure, Pakistan’s Supreme Court authorised civilians to be tried in military courts, erasing judicial independence and institutionalising impunity.”

This criticism paints Pakistan as a country where judges operate under the shadow of its generals and dissidents are crushed through courts controlled by the military.

US lawmakers call out Pakistan’s overseas crackdowns

The letter devotes significant attention to Pakistan’s intimidation of critics abroad. According to the lawmakers, Pakistan’s repression does not stop at its borders and has affected even US citizens and residents.

They warn that “US citizens and residents who have spoken out against authoritarian abuses in Pakistan have faced threats, intimidation, and harassment often extending to their families in Pakistan. These tactics include arbitrary detentions, coercion, and retaliatory violence, targeting diaspora individuals and their relatives.”

As an example, they reference alleged abductions involving relatives of US-based musician Salman Ahmad.

Demand for Imran Khan’s release

The letter directly calls for the release of former prime minister Imran Khan and other political prisoners. It portrays these arrests as part of a deliberate strategy to destroy genuine opposition before key power transitions inside the military establishment.

It states that “Opposition leaders are held without charge, denied fair trial, and kept in indefinite pretrial detention. Independent journalists are harassed, abducted, or forced into exile. Ordinary citizens are arrested for social media posts, while women, religious minorities, and marginalised ethnic groups particularly in Balochistan face disproportionate violence and surveillance.”

Congress demands transparency from Trump and Biden

The lawmakers also press the White House to reveal whether former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden confronted Pakistani leaders over human rights abuses in their private meetings. They warn that silence from Washington could be interpreted as support for the generals who control Pakistan’s political system.

A rare and harsh rebuke of Pakistan’s military rule

This intervention marks one of the toughest US statements against Pakistan’s army-driven structure. Coming from both Democrats and Republicans, it reflects a bipartisan conclusion that Pakistan is no longer functioning as a democracy, but as a state captured by its generals.

The letter paints a bleak portrait of Pakistan as a country where the military dominates elections, silences opponents, intimidates families of critics abroad, erases judicial independence, and forces a civilian government to act as a powerless screen for authoritarian rule.