New bill seeks to sanction Pakistan’s army chief, free former PM Khan
Reps. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) and Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif). introduced the “Pakistan Democracy Act” on Monday, seeking to sanction the country's Army chief for “persecution of political opponents” including former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The Hill obtained a copy of the bill, which would place sanctions on Pakistan's military boss within 180 days, under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. Violators can be subjected to denial of entry to the United States and ineligibility for U.S. visas.
The bipartisan legislation accuses Pakistani military leader General Asim Munir of "knowingly engaging in the wrongful persecution and imprisonment of political opponents." It further seeks the identification of key individuals involved in this "persecution," and imposing similar bans on them.
It gives the president the power to drop the sanctions if “military rule has ended in Pakistan and rule of law and civilian-led democracy has been restored” and “all wrongfully detained political detainees have been released from detention.”
Wilson has consistently demanded the release of Khan, who was arrested in August 2023, and blamed Pakistan’s military for his “unjust detention.”
“Mr. Khan is clearly a political prisoner,” Wilson told The Hill, adding that he has written a letter to President Trump urging him to “put pressure on Pakistan's military leadership including through visa bans, to restore democracy and release Mr. Khan.”
Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle have sought the release of Khan, who has faced various charges following his removal from office in 2022.
Members and supporters of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party have expressed hope that the Trump administration will lean on Pakistan’s leaders for Khan's release.
Trump has not publicly commented on Khan’s incarceration or ouster.
However, Trump’s “envoy for special missions,” Richard Grenell, has tweeted in support of the former prime minister.
A post on the social platform X from Grenell in December extending support to Khan received over 12 million views and was widely shared by Khan’s supporters.
“Watch Pakistan,” he said. “Their Trump-like leader is in prison on phony charges, and the people have been inspired by the US Red Wave. Stop the political prosecutions around the world!”
Hopes of a pro-Khan stance from the president were dampened, however, by his joint address to Congress earlier this month, in which he thanked the Pakistani government for facilitating the arrest of an Islamic State (ISIS) member accused of planning a 2021 terror attack in Kabul that killed American soldiers.
Last week, US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce declined to comment on Khan’s imprisonment, saying that the administration does not involve itself in the internal matters of other countries.
Wilson told The Hill he thinks Pakistan’s cooperation over the arrest of the ISIS suspect should be welcomed, but that the country should still be “encouraged” to uphold democratic values.
Others on Capitol Hill who have demanded Khan’s release include Reps. Greg Casar (D-Texas), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), August Pfluger (R-Texas), Jack Bergman (R-Mich.), among others.
Husain Haqqani, a former Pakistani envoy to the U.S. and senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, said the U.S. was unlikely to expend its limited leverage on Khan.
“It is unlikely that sanctions would be imposed on Pakistan just to secure the release of a populist but anti-American politician,” Haqqani said, referring to Khan’s past anti-American stance.
In 2022, following his ouster from power through a no-confidence vote, Khan claimed that his removal as prime minister was the result of an "American conspiracy.” He accused the then-opposition of collaborating with the U.S. to bring down his government.
The Biden administration had denied these claims.
Khan said at the time the U.S. did not want him in power due to his anti-imperialist stance and independent foreign policy choices. His party's rallies against his ouster featured anti-American slogans and chants about standing up to "foreign slavery” and protecting the country’s sovereignty.
Wilson said he has major differences with Khan, not only in his past anti-American statements, but also his statements defending China, and "refusing to take a strong stance against war criminal Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine."
“But political differences should be dealt with at the ballot box,” he added.
Michael Kugelman, South Asia director of the Washington D.C.-based Wilson Center, said he didn’t expect the U.S. to ultimately place sanctions on Pakistan over its refusal to free Khan.
And he noted a certain irony in the pleas coming from Khan’s camp.
“For many observers in DC, there is something deeply ironic about Khan supporters blaming the U.S. for Khan’s ouster and then calling on it to rescue him,” Kugelman said.
“Khan supporters counter that it’s about ‘reversing an interference,’ but that itself is a highly partisan statement as it assumes the U.S. was complicit in Khan’s ouster,” he added.
Haqqani said the calls from lawmakers were more about “constituency politics and responding to donors” than anything related to Khan’s politics.
“Several members of Congress are unaware of Khan’s track record, as some have mistakenly described him as a friend of the U.S., which he has never claimed to be,” the former ambassador said.
The Hill reached out to the Trump administration and the Pakistan embassy for comment.
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