‘Bugs and insects are deliberately released into Imran Khan’s cell:’ Zulfi Bukhari tells US Congress body

The head of a US congressional committee on Tuesday called on the Trump administration to investigate alleged human rights violations in Pakistan, following witness testimonies pointing to widespread abuses against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and its imprisoned leader, former prime minister Imran Khan.

The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission held a hearing to examine the deteriorating human rights situation in Pakistan. During the session, Republican Congressman Christopher H Smith, co-chairman of the Commission, described the ongoing crisis as both “extraordinary” and “rare.” 

He urged not only the US Congress but also the Trump administration to take immediate notice of recent developments in the country.

His remarks came after testimony from Sayed Zulfi Bukhari, a close aide of Imran Khan, who claimed that the former prime minister and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were falsely implicated in nearly 200 politically motivated cases.

Read more: Rana Sanaullah warns Imran Khan’s sons of arrest if they join protests in Pakistan

Congressman Smith expressed concern over Pakistan’s civil-military imbalance.

In his testimony, Bukhari painted a grim picture of the human rights climate in Pakistan. He alleged that fundamental rights of citizens have been severely curtailed, independent media has been silenced, and those who speak out are either terminated from their jobs or forced into exile.

The November 26th #IslamabadMassacre is a dark day in Pakistan’s history when unarmed pro-democracy protesters were shot at and killed by security forces of Pakistan's martial law regime, the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission @TLHumanRights heard on Tuesday.

Both Imran Khan… pic.twitter.com/Rfm3NMxWV6

— PTI USA Official (@PTIOfficialUSA) July 15, 2025

He further accused the government of interfering with the judiciary, stating that judicial independence is being compromised through political pressure and constitutional amendments.

Referring to the Islamabad March on November 26, Bukhari described it as a “dark day in Pakistan’s history,” during which, he claimed, unarmed pro-democracy protesters were shot and killed by security forces acting under a “martial law regime.”

Bukhari also raised alarms over the conditions of Imran Khan and his wife in prison, claiming they are being held in inhumane conditions that violate the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners.

Check: Qasim Khan calls father Imran Khan's solitary confinement ‘an attempt to break a man who stood for Pakistan’

“Bugs and insects are deliberately released into their cells. They are being served substandard food, and there are no cooling facilities despite extreme 50-degree heat,” he said.

He alleged that the former prime minister is being psychologically tortured by exposing him to the mistreatment of his jailed wife, calling it a deliberate attempt to "break him mentally."

Concluding his statement, Bukhari said, “We either let Pakistan slide further into dictatorship under the cover of law, or we stand with the people who yearn for democracy, dignity, and justice.”