NEW YORK: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the Pakistani authorities to respect due process and the rule of law in proceedings against former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
“The secretary-general takes note of the ongoing protests that have erupted following the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad, and he calls for all parties to refrain from violence,” said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for Guterres.
“He (Guterres) stresses the need to respect the right to peaceful assembly,” Haq told a daily press conference. “The secretary-general urges the authorities to respect due process and the rule of law in proceedings brought against the former prime minister.”
Imran Khan was arrested on Saturday after a local court sentenced him to three-year imprisonment for hiding financial assets.
Meanwhile, the United States has said the arrest of Imran Khan does not merit a response. The US declared that the cases against PTI Chairman Imran Khan as the country’s internal matter.
“The cases against Imran Khan and other politicians in Pakistan are an internal matter,” the State Department said in a response to a question.
“We call for the respect of democratic principles and the rule of law in Pakistan, as we do around the world,” the department said.
The US State Department has time and again also termed Imran Khan’s claims of the US ousting his government as “baseless”.
