PPP leader for release of IK, other political prisoners

ISLAMABAD: The President of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Human Rights Cell, Farhatullah Babar, called for the immediate release of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and all other political prisoners. “My demand extends beyond a single leader, and I urge the government to release all individuals currently detained on politically motivated charges. I am raising my voice for the release of all PTI political prisoners, including Imran Khan. Let there be no doubt that a mistake has been made. They all have rights, and their protection should be ensured, ” he expressed these views while addressing at a news conference on Tuesday. Answering a question, Babar said that mainstream party leaders might not agree with his views, but he would continue to raise his voice for human rights. He said that if his party prevented him from raising such concerns, he would either stop doing so or resign from his position in the party. He said that today, a new debate has been initiated about creating new provinces in the name of devolving powers to the grassroots level. He also said that powers could be devolved to the grassroots level under the existing system of the country and the provinces could be constitutionally bound to hold local government elections on time. He said that the provinces could be constitutionally bound through legislation to ensure that local government elections could not be postponed or stopped by a two-thirds majority. He said that Political parties have made the devolution of power to the grassroots level part of the Constitution. He said that if political parties fail to devolve power to the grassroots level, there is a constitutional mechanism to address the issue. He said that provinces cannot be created simply by sitting in Islamabad and drawing them on paper with a pencil. He said that today, attempts are being made to create provinces by those who themselves have promoted centralisation. There is a mindset opposed to the NFC Award and the 18th Amendment, he said. Farhatullah Babar also expressed concern over restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly, saying that journalists and human rights activists were being silenced for raising their voices on issues concerning society. Speaking on the occasion of International Day of Democracy, Babar said he wanted to raise his voice for democracy and advocate freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. He said people should be free to speak about issues they observe in society, but freedom of expression had been curtailed with the imposition of Section 144 in Islamabad. Babar claimed that the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) had been used as a tool to silence journalists and restrict their voices. He said human rights activists Imaan Mazari and Hadi Chattha had consistently raised their voices for missing persons, but were subsequently put behind bars for speaking about the issue of enforced disappearances. PPP leader Malaika Raza said that children in the country were being subjected to sexual abuse and, in some cases, even killed. She said that cases of violence and harassment against women were also being reported. She said Sindh had played a significant role in the struggle for democracy in Pakistan, adding that the sacrifices made by the people of Sindh for democracy were a matter of pride. Raza said that attempting to create new provinces through a process outside Parliament amounted to a direct attack on the 18th Amendment. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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