Former minister and senior leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Syed Zulfiqar Bukhari on Wednesday said the authorities concerned cut off internet connection to Imran Khan’s residence to hamper his meeting with Conservative MPs of the United Kingdom.
“Today Imran Khan was about to join a Zoom call with UK’s Conservative MPs when, without warning, Pakistan’s telecoms authorities cut off internet connections to his compound,” Zulfiqar Bukhari said while condemning “fascism and lawlessness” in the country.
He said the sudden disruption without any prior warning had raised alarm within the international community, highlighting the lawlessness and potential encroachment on democratic values faced by the opposition, media, and ordinary citizens in Pakistan.
“The international community is concerned at the blatant lawlessness & fascism being faced by opposition, media & common citizens in Pakistan today,” he added to his tweet.
Today @ImranKhanPTI was about to join a Zoom call with UK’s Conservative MPs when, without warning, Pakistan's telecoms authorities cut off internet connections to his compound.
The international community is concerned at the blatant lawlessness & fascism being faced by… pic.twitter.com/CpazGKHaLn
— Sayed Z Bukhari (@sayedzbukhari) May 24, 2023
Talking to this scribe, he said the incident involving the shutdown of internet drew attention to the growing concerns surrounding freedom of speech, media independence, and political dissent in the country.
He said the international community had been expressing its apprehension over the treatment being meted out to opposition parties, the media, and ordinary citizens in Pakistan.
Zulfiqar Bukhari emphasized the need for upholding democratic principles and respecting fundamental rights.
He said efforts were underway to organize Imran Khan’s zoom meeting with the British MPs again.
