STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan
“Washington is a city of traffic lights; I hate this stop and start” said the young man, nicknamed Junior, while drivingme to the November 26th massacre Congressional Briefing. He had a point; the density of signals is mind boggling. The Capitol Hill with its imposing building and structures that surround it convey symbolic power. The Hill is nestled between Constitution Avenue and Independence Avenue. There are three buildings on Constitution Ave dedicated for US Senators and three on Independence Ave for Congressmen. This briefing was held in Rayburn House on Independence Ave, the first of the three buildings.
Junior’s comment got me thinking. The traffic signals not only represent the control of traffic in Washington but also the traffic of events all over the world. Voices raised in these chambers reverberate around the globe. They may not bring immediate results but they pave the way forward. Influence exerted on American Congress createsawareness amongst the members. Once they are convinced, it builds a momentum for a cause you expound. After decades of apolitical existence, the Pakistani diaspora has come together, outraged by the atrocious events unfolding back home over the last 32 months.
The Congressional Briefing on 22nd January has a huge significance. It was organized two days after Donald Trump assumed office. It is a new chapter in the ongoing struggle for democracy and rule of law in Pakistan by the Pakistani Americans. Various organizations and individuals have worked valiantly over past two years. Their relentless efforts in mobilizing law makers in US Congress gave commendable results. The passage of bi-partisan Congressional Resolution 901 expressing support for democracy and condemning the violation of human rights was a landmark achievement.
Here are some glaring facts. Out of total 435 members of House of Representatives, on March 20th 2024, 375 members voted. 56 members did not vote. Out of members present 368 members voted in favor and 7 members opposed it. US Government records state that 98% of the present members voted for the resolution and only 2% opposed it. It was treated as a non-controversial bill, passed through suspension of rules. The best part is it was one of the rare occasions where both Republicans and Democrats came together. 187 Republicans and 181 Democrats voted in favor. It was a sharp break from the ongoing bickering that was a hallmark of House of Representatives.
This was followed by letters of 60 Congressmen urging President Biden to act and prevent the outrageous acts being perpetuated by General Asim’s regime. The Biden Administration had itself participated in the regime changein Pakistan in April 2022. So, all efforts by Congress were ignored causing the Muslim Americans generally and Pakistani Americans especially to abandon the Democrats in the 2024 elections. It has disastrous results leading to losses in swing states. Democrats lost Presidency, Senate, and the House.
Trump presidency is not a product of Establishment, hegot elected despite their roadblocks. IK is a victim of Army Establishment. Trump team has been made aware of the brutalities in Pakistan. This congressional briefing was a major building block towards the massive efforts aptly called “Free Imran Khan.” It was organized by First Pakistan Global headed by Dr. Usman Malik along with their coalition partners, Community Alliance for Peace and Justice, CUSP, DHR Alliance and Pakistani American Physicians Group. It was facilitated by the office of Congressman Greg Casar, a true hero for Pakistanis in their struggle for democracy. Its agenda was “Islamabad Massacre and Human Rights Crisis in Pakistan.”
It was my first experience in US Congressional settings. It was quite impressive. The hall was jampacked with supporters and media. The panel included some heavy hitters. Congresspersons who supported the agenda very effectively included Greg Casar, Jim McGovern, August Pfluger, Rashida Tlaib, Frank Pallone, and Eugene Vindman. Over
20 Congressional and legislative staffers from the House and Senate also joined. The briefing condemned theatrocities by a fascist regime and exposed facts about Islamabad Massacre. It urged for imposition of sanctions against military and government officials responsible for these heinous acts.
The panelist included Dr. Saira Bilal, Dr. Moeed Pirzada, Wajahat Saeed Khan, Ryan Grim (Drop Site), Benjamin Linden (Amnesty International) and Yumna Rizvi. Prominent amongst the attendees were PTI’s Shahbaz Gill, Muneer Khatana, Waqar Khan, Ms Maryam (sister of Bushra Bibi), and Akbar Chaudhry, a close friend of IK and myself.
Pakistan Embassy had seriously tried to prevent this event from happening. When their efforts failed, either theEmbassy or PML(N) sent two touts to disrupt the proceedings. The culprits tried to raise a fuss desi style,but were removed from the event by no-nonsense Sargeant-at-Arms. There was thunderous applause at the mention of Imran Khan every time and punctuated by chants of “Free Imran Khan.”
Support for democracy and rule of law has many supporters in US Congress as borne out by the vote on Bill 901. However, it was a non-binding resolution. The Bill is still on the table. Efforts need to be re-doubled to bring to the floor a binding Resolution in support of democratic rule. Commitment of Pakistani diaspora is commendable. However, the need of the hour is that every Pakistani must be proactive and reach out to their Representatives to urge them to support this cause. This was stated by Congressman Pallone of New Jersey who linked his presence to demands by his voters. A green light is needed from US Administration to rid us of inhuman fascists.
Leave a Reply