Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Law and Justice, Azam Nazeer Tarar, dismissed on Tuesday the recommendations of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) concerning the release of the country’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Tarar responded to the report released by WGAD in a statement to the state broadcaster PTV, stating that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief’s arrest and pending cases against him are an internal matter of Pakistan. Tarar further stated that the constitution and prevailing laws are followed by the courts in Pakistan, further emphasising that Khan is in jail as a convicted prisoner.

The statement was made in response to global criticism of Khan’s incarceration. The WGAD demanded Khan’s immediate release, claiming that his arrest was arbitrary and in violation of international law. Tarar responded to the recommendations by stating that Khan possesses all rights guaranteed by the nation’s constitution, laws, and international norms, further asserting that any demands made in excess of these rules will be deemed discriminatory, biased and unjust.

The WGAD, tasked with investigating cases of governments depriving people of their freedom, declared that the accusations made against Khan were “without legal basis” and that they were politically motivated in an attempt to force him out of politics, claiming further that the proper course of action would be to free and compensate Khan.

Khan has been in jail since August 2023 and was convicted in some cases ahead of a Pakistan national election which took place in February 2024. Pakistan courts have suspended two of Khan’s jail sentences, but the former PM remains in prison due to a separate unlawful marriage conviction