US lawmakers press Secretary Rubio to enforce visa bans, asset freezes on Pakistani officials

Forty-two members of the United States Congress, led by Democratic Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and Congressman Greg Casar, have written to Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanding immediate sanctions against senior Pakistan officials for what they termed an "escalating campaign of transnational repression and worsening human rights crisis in Pakistan" under the military-backed government of Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir.

In a bipartisan letter, made public on Wednesday, the lawmakers call for targeted measures, including visa bans and asset freezes on officials responsible for threatening US citizens and residents who criticise Pakistan's military establishment, as well as their family members back home.

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"In recent years, 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," the letter stated.

The letter also warns that Pakistan is experiencing a deepening authoritarian crisis, alleging that opposition leaders have been detained without charge, journalists intimidated or forced into exile, and ordinary citizens arrested for social media activity. The lawmakers also cite concerns about women, religious minorities, and ethnic communities--particularly in Balochistan--who they say face disproportionate repression.

"This authoritarian system in Pakistan is sustained through relentless repression. 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," the letter read.

Citing specific cases, the letter highlighted Virginia-based investigative journalist Ahmad Noorani, whose brothers were abducted and held for over a month after his reporting on military corruption, and Pakistani-American musician Salman Ahmad, whose brother-in-law was kidnapped until US authorities intervened.

Pointing to Pakistan's 2024 elections, the Members cite irregularities raised in the independent Pattan Report and note that the US State Department had expressed concern and called for a full investigation. They argue that political developments since then reflect a broader authoritarian crackdown, including the decision to allow civilians to be tried in military courts.

"The 2024 elections--widely condemned for irregularities and documented in the Pattan Report, an independent Pakistani civil society study monitoring election irregularities--installed a pliant civilian facade. The U.S. 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," the letter stated.

The US lawmakers also called for the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and other political prisoners, noting that the US State Department itself had raised alarm over electoral irregularities.

"We urge the Administration to swiftly impose measures, such as visa bans and asset freezes, against officials credibly perpetrating systematic repression, transnational repression, and undermining judicial independence. Such steps, alongside calls for the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and other political prisoners, would reinforce U.S. commitment to human rights, protect American citizens from transnational repression, and promote regional stability," it further stated.