Explainer: Why is Pakistan Being Scrutinized in the US Congress?

Islamabad is under scrutiny in Washington. On July 15, 2025, the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, a bipartisan body of the U.S. House of Representatives, convened a critical hearing spotlighting political repression, manipulated elections, media censorship, minority persecution, and refugee abuses in Pakistan. The July 15 session focused sharply on Pakistan’s democratic decline—especially the treatment of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and broader human rights abuses by the military-intelligence apparatus of the Pakistan Army.

The hearing, led by Co-Chairs Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), included testimonies from prominent witnesses: Zulfi Bukhari, a key advisor to Imran Khan; Jared Genser, Khan’s international legal counsel; Sadiq Amini, a South Asia security expert; and Ben Linden, Advocacy Director at Amnesty International USA.

What's happening and how?

The commission focused on multiple alarming trends in Pakistan. Zulfi Bukhari detailed what he described as the most “brutally rigged” elections in Pakistan's history, particularly the February 8, 2024, general elections. PTI’s official election symbol—the cricket bat—was stripped, forcing its candidates to contest as independents, creating voter confusion and leading to allegations of vote manipulation and subsequent seat denial for PTI-backed winners. International observers, including the U.S. and the European Union, echoed serious concerns regarding electoral fairness and transparency. (dawn.com)

The hearing also brought attention to the controversial 26th Constitutional Amendment, which witnesses argued compromised judicial independence by politicizing appointments and expanding military jurisdiction over civilians. Jared Genser highlighted mass arrests following May 9, 2023, protests, reporting a troubling 100% conviction rate in secretive military courts. (brecorder.com)

Witnesses underscored intensified media suppression, noting recent attempts by Pakistan’s judiciary and cyber authorities to block approximately 27 YouTube channels critical of the government, featuring prominent diaspora journalists, including our very own Wajahat S. Khan. Although temporarily stayed by higher courts, these actions signal a shrinking space for dissent.

What is the Tom Lantos Commission?

Established in 2008 and named after the late Democrat Congressman, Tom Lantos, the only Holocaust survivor to serve in Congress, the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission is tasked with promoting, defending, and advocating for international human rights. While the Commission cannot pass legislation directly, it significantly influences Congressional understanding, shapes foreign policy debates, and can initiate actions such as sanctions proposals, letters demanding accountability from governments, and policy conditions linked to foreign aid. (chrissmith.house.gov)

Why is it a big deal that PTI is in the room?

PTI’s presence at the Commission symbolizes crucial recognition by the U.S. legislative body of the gravity of Pakistan’s internal political turmoil. It underscores the internationalization of PTI’s claims of victimization and electoral injustice. Zulfi Bukhari’s testimony, therefore, elevated PTI’s grievances to a global platform, legitimizing their accusations against Pakistan's current regime. PTI’s inclusion signals U.S. openness to reconsidering its policy approach toward Pakistan based on ongoing democratic and human rights concerns.

What can and can’t the Commission do?

The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC) exerts influence through agenda‑setting rather than formal legislative power—it has no legislative jurisdiction—but its bipartisan platform lets Members marshal attention, develop a public record, and channel that record toward the Executive Branch and the House committees that do control policy levers. Through hearings, letters, briefings, and coordination with the House Foreign Affairs and Appropriations Committees, the Commission can spotlight abuses, elevate prisoner cases, and press agencies such as State, Treasury, and USAID for action. Because its proceedings are public and attract international media coverage, TLHRC hearings can also shape global perception and raise the political cost of inaction. (Congress.gov, Business Recorder)

At the July 15, 2025 Pakistan: Ongoing Political Repression hearing, Members sketched concrete follow‑ups: pursuing targeted sanctions (Global Magnitsky; International Religious Freedom Act visa bans/asset freezes) on responsible officials; conditioning pieces of security cooperation and assistance on measurable human‑rights benchmarks; sustained oversight of elections, political prisoners, and transnational repression; and spotlighting digital repression by urging U.S. tech platforms—Google/YouTube in particular—to resist or at least disclose compliance with sweeping Pakistani takedown or censorship orders. These options build on past Commission practice in which witness recommendations inform colleagues’ policy moves. (Business Recorder, Human Rights Watch, Reuters, Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission)

Momentum from such hearings can migrate into legislation. A recent example: the bipartisan Pakistan Democracy Act (introduced March 2025) would invoke Global Magnitsky authorities to sanction Army Chief Gen. Asim Munir and others implicated in political persecution and to tie relief to democratic benchmarks—illustrating how Member concern incubated in Commission forums can become concrete policy proposals. (Business Standard, Dawn)

But why are people hating on Zulfi?

Zulfi Bukhari—a former Special Assistant to Imran Khan on Overseas Pakistanis who continues to advise the PTI founder on international/media outreach—shot into the current news cycle because of his participation signaled that U.S. lawmakers were willing to hear directly from a senior PTI figure as they examined Pakistan’s democratic backslide and possible policy responses. (ARY NEWS, Dawn, chrissmith.house.gov)

In testimony that drove headlines across Pakistani and international outlets, Bukhari claims became a part of the U.S. congressional record, but also triggered a divide within the PTI, with groups close to Khan’s family actually writing to the commission to not treat Bukhari as a representative of Khan – focusing instead on insisting that Khan’s sons, Kasim and Sulaiman, meet the commission members. Meanwhile, other PTI groups backed Bukhari, who later ended up tweeting a picture of himself at the White House, too. Clearly, Bukhari’s a mover within American power circles, but is the notoriously factionalized PTI savvy enough to use his good offices to break through to what is looking like a pro-Rawalpindi US administration? (Dawn, Arab News, Dialogue Pakistan, chrissmith.house.gov)

What did Wajahat S. Khan submit and what's his outlook?

Wajahat S. Khan—a veteran journalist and co‑author of this explainer—submitted detailed written testimony via the Community Alliance for Peace and Justice to the July 15, 2025 hearing of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, chronicling through personal example the intensifying repression faced by independent media, political opponents, and diaspora critics of the Pakistani state.

Khan’s outlook, outlined in briefing to Congress members earlier this year, is clear-eyed but urgent: the TLHRC hearing represents a rare moment of congressional attention that must be strategically used. He called on the U.S. to take concrete steps—letters of concern, targeted Global Magnitsky sanctions, increased scrutiny of security assistance, and hard questions to U.S. platforms enabling censorship—but stressed that such pressure will only matter if Pakistan’s democratic opposition and diaspora act in unison. Fragmentation, ego politics, and fuzzy data, he warned, will squander the opportunity. The window is open—but not for long. (Reuters, Reuters, Dawn, Dawn, TLHR)

What's going on in the larger picture for Pakistan?

Pakistan currently sits at a crossroads. The country faces intensified political repression, increasing authoritarian measures, and mounting international scrutiny. Domestically, the establishment's expansion of paramilitary forces, restrictions on political opposition, and systematic erosion of judicial independence have ignited fears of democratic collapse.

Internationally, Pakistan’s image is increasingly marred by accusations of human rights violations, including forced repatriations of Afghan refugees, religious persecution, and political suppression. This hearing underscores mounting global concerns regarding Pakistan’s commitment to democratic norms, human rights standards, and international law. (amnesty.org, hrw.org)

For Pakistan, continued escalation without reform risks international isolation, decreased foreign investment, and compromised bilateral relationships, notably with influential partners like the U.S. The Tom Lantos Commission’s scrutiny signals to Pakistan’s ruling elite that continued authoritarian tendencies will likely lead to tangible international repercussions.

In short, the Congressional spotlight represents both a challenge and an opportunity: it pressures Islamabad to reconsider its current trajectory while providing opposition groups, civil society, and international observers an influential forum to advocate democratic restoration and respect for human rights.