“We will block the passports and ID cards of those overseas British Pakistanis who were involved in ‘attacking’ the ex-Chief Justice’s car outside the Middle Temple,” says Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.
Tarar’s Threats
Such statements are not new for overseas Pakistanis. Recently, the Information Minister, Ata Tarar, publicly stated that Pakistani Americans would have their passports blocked due to their social media posts against state institutions.
The irony is that they never specify the law or penal code section under which such acts of the state are justified or legal.
“No Place for Transnational Repression in the 21st Century”
“We will block the passports and ID cards of those overseas British Pakistanis who were involved in ‘attacking’ the ex-Chief Justice’s car outside the Middle Temple,”
says Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi… pic.twitter.com/sQontUe2X6
— Dr Waqas Nawaz (@WaqasnawazMD) November 1, 2024
On October 29, a few protesters led by a young lad Shayan Ali from PTI in the UK gathered outside the Middle Temple gate, where they chanted slogans against the ex-Chief Justice of Pakistan, Mr. Qazi Faiz Isa, who was invited to a ceremony there. This protest was in accordance with Article 10 of the Human Rights Act (HRA) 1998 of the UK. The protesters reminded the ex-Chief Justice of his biased decisions against PTI and his silence on human rights violations occurring in Pakistan over the past two years.
The protesters were unarmed and peaceful. Although they surrounded his car, the driver hit two protesters while trying to leave the crowd. This action angered the crowd, leading them to bang on the trunk of the car. Many Pakistani media outlets labeled this as an “attack on the Chief Justice.” However, a police van behind the ex-Chief Justice’s car did not intervene or arrest any protesters, as they found no illegal activity. To this day, no case has been registered against any of the protesters by Scotland Yard.
Despite this, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi threatened to block the passports and ID cards of those protesters. He instructed NADRA to identify the protesters from their faces and block their IDs, even threatening to cancel their citizenship.
What the Pakistani British protesters did falls under the “Right of Assembly” and “Peaceful Protest” as defined by Article 10 of the HRA 1998, which protects freedom of expression. This includes the right to hold opinions, receive and share information and ideas, be free from interference by public authorities, and be free without regard to borders.
Transnational Repression by Pakistani Government
In contrast, what Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi is doing can be classified as “Transnational Repression,” according to the US Mission and the Joint Statement on Transnational Repression to the Human Rights Council – 56th Session. Transnational repression occurs when states reach beyond their borders to silence or coerce dissidents, journalists, human rights defenders, and others, undermining national sovereignty, democracy, human rights, and fundamental freedoms. It takes many forms, including physical acts of aggression, harassment, forced returns, revocation of passports and IDs, pressure on relatives in-country, misuse of international law enforcement systems, and digital threats through intrusive surveillance software.
Transnational repression manifests in various forms, and the Pakistani government has employed all four major methods:
- Getting Them Killed Abroad: Arshad Sharif experienced the most extreme form of transnational repression when he was forced to leave Pakistan and subsequently assassinated in October 2022 in Kenya.
- Seizing Properties and Revoking IDs: Journalists such as Moeed Pirzada, Shakir Sabir, Shaheen Sebhai, and Wajahat Saeed Khan have faced this type of repression, with their properties confiscated and passports revoked. Currently, British Pakistanis are facing similar threats from Mohsin Naqvi.
- Engaging Foreign Institutions: The Pakistani government has engaged foreign authorities—such as police or immigration agencies—to harass, detain, or arrest individuals through the abuse of Interpol. Adil Raja, a former military officer residing in the UK, has experienced this form of transnational repression.
- Threatening Families Back Home: Activists’ families in Pakistan have been targeted through abduction and blackmail to silence dissent. For example, the brothers of PTI political activist Azhar Mashwani and PTI leader Dr. Shahbaz Gil were abducted in Pakistan to intimidate them into silence abroad.
In addition to these transnational acts against dissenting voices, political opponents within Pakistan face severe victimization. If these British Pakistani protesters were in Pakistan, they would likely have been either abducted or charged under anti-terrorism laws by now.
Pakistan Under International Scrutiny
The following statistics from international organizations highlight the grave situation faced by Pakistani journalists and human rights activists, forcing many to seek exile in host countries where they are vulnerable to transnational repression or to limit their travel back home due to fear of persecution and victimization:
- CIVICUS (@CIVICUSMonitor): In March 2024, CIVICUS added Pakistan to its watch list due to repression against the opposition, censorship of journalists, and attacks on peaceful protests surrounding the elections.
- Amnesty International (@amnesty): In their annual report released on April 24, 2024, Amnesty International stated that authorities continued their assault on dissenting voices, with human rights violations such as enforced disappearances and arbitrary arrests persisting unabated.
- Reporters Without Borders (RSF) (@RSF_inter): On May 3, 2024, Pakistan dropped two places in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index, ranking 152 out of 180 countries. RSF noted that the political-military elite maintains broad control over the media in Pakistan.
- Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (@HRCP87): In their annual report released on May 8, 2024, the commission expressed concern over the state’s response to the May 9, 2023, riots, which included quelling dissent through the revival of military courts to try civilians, enforced disappearances, and mass arrests.
According to FBI, about 3.5 million people in the world are currently at risk of transnational repression that include all those voices that challenge authoritarian rule such as Journalists, human rights defenders, diaspora groups and family members of exiles. It is a crime in the USA. On September 19th, 2024, the Congressman Adams Schiff introduced the Bipartisan Transnational Repression Reporting Act to Track Cases of Foreign Repression in the U.S. Schiff’s bill came after the 2023 attempted assassination against prominent Sikh activist, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
Read More: Pakistani Parliamentarians Attempt to Counter Greg Casar’s Letter by Writing to PM Shehbaz Sharif
“With transnational repression on the rise, the American people deserve to know if foreign governments are working to intimidate, harass, harm or kill individuals within the United States whom they view as hostile to their regimes. My bill will require a comprehensive report on cases of foreign governments targeting individuals here at home and American citizens abroad. I will continue to work with my colleagues to safeguard fundamental rights and freedoms, both domestically and around the world.” said Rep. Schiff.
Transnational repression is on the rise in the United States and across the globe.
The American people deserve to know if foreign governments are working to intimidate, harass, or harm individuals within the United States whom they view as hostile to their regimes.
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) September 19, 2024
A Call to Action
I urge the UK government @GOVUK to take notice of such threats made by Minister Mohsin Naqvi. If any laws have been violated by the protesters, then the UK police can address it. However, the Pakistani government threatening British Pakistanis with actions like blocking their passports and intimidating their relatives in Pakistan contradicts the human rights values upheld by British society and international laws.
It is unfortunate that in the 21st century, a time marked by discussions about education, progress, freedom of expression, and the informational revolution, we find ourselves addressing transnational repression. I believe that expression cannot be silenced by repression. When you suppress freedom of expression across borders, you only make it more inclusive, widespread, and universal. If you disagree with an expression, change your own impression instead of resorting to repression, because as George Orwell said,
“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”
Author is Board certified Gastroenterologist and teaches as Assistant Professor at Ohio State University, United States.