Pakistan Escalates Transnational Repression Targetting Critics In Exile: Report

(MENAFN- IANS) Istanbul, Aug 1 (IANS) Pakistan is witnessing a growing campaign of Transnational Repression (TNR) targeting dissidents, particularly in the United Kingdom (UK), through harassment, intimidation, physical violence and the misuse of Interpol 'Red Notices', a report highlighted on Friday.

According to a scathing report of the UK Parliament's Joint Committee on Human Rights on Transnational Repression, foreign governments are increasing their crackdown on political opponents in the UK. Since 2022, it stated, Pakistan has been one of the nations to intensify TNR. The UK's domestic counter-intelligence and security agency, MI5, revealed that these threats have surged by 48 per cent.

Committee Chair Lord Alton cautioned that TNR is undermining the UK's ability to protect the human rights of its citizens and those seeking safety, a report by global policy research institution 'Geopolist' cited.

Pakistan's current regime has repeatedly been linked to silencing critics in exile.

"Will the UK now hold Islamabad accountable and stop this export of repression to British soil? In 2016, Pakistan passed the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) to address issues such as hacking, data breaches, cyber extortion, online harassment, and the spread of false information," the report detailed

In January 2025, this law was amended, giving authorities the power to arrest, charge, and imprison journalists for allegedly spreading misinformation. Additionally, high fines and penalties for "defamation and spreading false news" came into effect. These draconian laws have now crossed Pakistan's borders, the report mentioned.

The report highlighted that Roshaan Khattak, a Pakistani documentarian and human rights activist in exile in the UK, has publicly condemned irregularities and human rights abuses by the Pakistani state.

His doctoral research thesis on enforced disappearances in Balochistan drew the ire of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), as he received threatening messages while in the UK.

"Starting in December 2024, some of these threats were signed in the name of the Pakistani state or the ISI. These continued into 2025, including a message on X that read: Don't forget even in Cambridge... they can reach anywhere... don't be foolish"...

Khattak was subsequently expelled from student accommodation at the University of Cambridge, stripping away his safety. This decision sparked widespread condemnation from British MPs and international human rights organisations, who called it a failure to safeguard academic freedom and surrender to intimidation.

"For decades, Pakistan's powerful military elite and the ISI have silenced domestic dissent through intimidation, censorship, and abductions. Now they are exporting these tactics abroad. The US State Department has officially acknowledged that Pakistan engages in 'transnational repression' to intimidate critics beyond its borders," the report highlighted.

Western intellectuals have repeatedly raised concerns and sharply criticised institutionalised transnational repression by Pakistan's military and intelligence agencies.

"In the United States, members of Congress warned that Washington cannot stand by while Pakistan tramples civil rights, even suggesting sanctions if the harassment continues. In Britain, MPs from across the political spectrum have highlighted the case of Roshaan Khattak and called for stronger protections for academic freedom," the report mentioned.

According to it, the campaign of silencing dissent and harassing political exiles in the West is escalating. Analysts warn that as Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir becomes increasingly emboldened, the campaign of threats and targetting critics abroad is expected to intensify.

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