The U.S. State Department declined Monday to criticize Pakistan after that country’s government announced charges against former Prime Minister Imran Khan for “terrorism” after had gave a speech in which he criticized a judge and the police.
Though Khan, a former international cricket star, is an Islamist, he is not a “terrorist.” He is also politically popular and might win election again — if the government allowed new elections. As Breitbart News reported, Khan was charged with “terrorism” after speaking out against the alleged ill-treatment of his former chief of staff, whom supporters say was tortured in jail after being arrested on charges of “sedition.” Khan himself has not yet been arrested; his only crime was literal speech.
On Monday, a reported at the State Department’s daily press briefing asked spokesperson Ned Price whether the U.S. would criticize Pakistan for the bogus charge against a former president and future likely political opponent, given the Biden administration’s supposed goal of advancing human rights through foreign policy. The Biden administration declined:
QUESTION: Yeah, on Pakistan, I wonder if you had any reaction to the charges that were brought against former Prime Minister Imran Khan for anti – under an anti-terrorism law because of a speech that he made where he accused – he made some comments about the police and a judge. And specifically, this anti-terrorism law that’s been used, do you support or do you believe that that’s appropriate to use an anti-terror law against a speech given your focus on human rights at the center of foreign policy?
MR PRICE: We’re of course aware of the reports about the charges. This is a matter for the Pakistani legal and judicial system. It is not directly a matter for the United States, and that’s because we don’t have a position on one political candidate or party versus any other political candidate or party. We support the peaceful upholding of democratic, constitutional, and legal principles in Pakistan and around the world.
Price may have been reluctant to answer, given the fact that the Biden administration is currently pursuing a criminal investigation of its own predecessor — and likely future opponent — on the basis of what critics say are trumped-up charges.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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