ISLAMABAD: A senior US lawmaker on Tuesday voiced concern over the human rights situation in Pakistan, saying basic freedoms were in jeopardy under the current administration and expressing alarm over the continued incarceration of former prime minister Imran Khan in a high-security prison in Rawalpindi.

The remarks by Rep. Chris Smith, Co-Chairman of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, during a congressional hearing in Washington on “political repression” in Pakistan. The bipartisan commission was established in 2008 by the US House of Representatives to promote and advocate for international human rights through hearings, investigations and policy recommendations.

Its latest hearing focused on Pakistan and featured testimony from several witnesses, including Zulfi Bukhari, a close aide to ex-premier Khan and a senior figure in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.

“Life in Pakistan today is marked by rampant government violations of basic freedoms, particularly freedom of speech and media freedom, and the denial of free and fair elections,” Smith said in his opening remarks.

“Pakistan is a country of over 250 million people — the fifth-largest country in the world — so the human cost of this repression is immense in its scope as well its severity,” he added.

Smith maintained Pakistan’s democratic crisis was not new, though he asserted the government’s human rights record had “taken a sharp turn for the worse” in recent years.

The American lawmaker pointed to the confrontation between the South Asian country’s powerful military establishment and Khan’s PTI, calling the former prime minister a “genuinely popular leader” who had challenged public corruption and military interference before being ousted in what Smith described as a “political coup” in 2022.

Smith noted that last year’s general elections were “widely seen as unfree and unfair, including by the US government, marked as they were by a ban on the PTI party, harassment of PTI officials, bans on public gatherings, a national Internet shutdown, and massive voting irregularities.”

In his testimony, Bukhari said that “Imran Khan and his wife are in solitary confinement for over 23 hours a day,” describing their conditions as “inhumane.”

He also questioned the legality of the February 2024 elections, which PTI has repeatedly alleged were rigged, and criticized the military trials of civilians that he said led to the conviction of dozens of party members and supporters.

“This is a purge,” he said. “It’s not justice.”

Toward the end of Bukhari’s statement, Smith urged the US administration to sit up and take notice of the situation in Pakistan.

He also urged the Trump administration to “redouble its commitment to democracy and human rights” in the South Asian country.

KARACHI: Pakistan’s government has increased the price of petrol by Rs5.36 per liter and high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs11.37 per liter for the next fortnight, the Finance Division announced late Tuesday.

The revised prices took effect from today, July 16.

According to the official notification, petrol now costs Rs272.15 per liter, up from Rs266.79, while HSD has risen to Rs284.35 per liter from the previous Rs272.98.

“The Government has revised the prices of petroleum products for the fortnight starting tomorrow, based on the recommendation of OGRA [Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority] and the relevant Ministries,” the Finance Division said in its statement.

Fuel prices in Pakistan are adjusted every two weeks and are influenced by global oil market trends, currency fluctuations and changes in domestic taxation.

The increases have a direct impact on inflation, raising production and transportation costs and driving up the prices of essential goods and services, particularly food. The effect is further amplified by Pakistan’s reliance on imported fuel.

This marks the third consecutive increase in fuel prices. On June 16, the government raised petrol by Rs4.80 per liter and HSD by Rs7.95. Another hike followed on July 1, with petrol up by Rs8.36 and HSD by Rs10.39.

Fuel price volatility escalated last month during the 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel, when Pakistan instructed oil marketing companies to maintain mandatory reserve levels.

While the government ruled out supply shortages, the conflict triggered concerns about a potential disruption in oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz.