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US bill to impose human rights sanctions on Pak govt officials
US House committee backs the Pakistan Freedom and Accountability Act, targeting human rights violations by officials, possibly leading to sanctions.
Republicans and Democrats on the US House Foreign Affairs Committee have united to support a new bill that threatens human rights sanctions on key members of Pakistan’s government in a troubling development for Islamabad. The Pakistan Freedom and Accountability Act, which was introduced in the House earlier this month, requires the Trump administration to identify Pakistani civilian and military officials who are responsible for “gross human rights violations” and “undermining democracy” in the country. Once designated, Pakistani officials could face Global Magnitsky human rights sanctions which will freeze their assets within America and bar them from entering the United States.
The bill is significant as it marks another bipartisan effort by lawmakers in America’s lower house to highlight democratic backsliding in Pakistan since the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in 2023. Poeple familiar with the matter on Capitol Hill tell HT that the bill is part of an effort to push the Trump White House to address democracy and human rights concerns with Islamabad. Republican Congressman Bill Huizenga , who chairs the subcommittee on South and Central Asia within the House Foreign Affairs Committee , is understood to be the driving force behind the bill and 10 other representatives , six Republicans and four Democrats, have also co-sponsored the bill.
The people cited above added that the bill has been pushed strongly by the Pakistani-American diaspora, which has also lobbied strongly for the US government to exert pressure on Islamabad to release Khan. The bill is not the first effort to condemn the present Pakistani government for allegedly rigging the 2024 elections and weakening democratic institutions within the country. In 2024, the US House of Representatives passed a resolution that condemned “attempts to suppress the people of Pakistan’s participation in their democracy, including through harassment, intimidation, violence, arbitrary detention, restrictions on access to the internet and telecommunications, or any violation of their human, civil, or political rights.” The resolution also called for an investigation into allegations of interference and irregularities in the 2024 election in Pakistan.
HT learns that the bill is expected to make it out of the Foreign Affairs Committee and reach the House of Representatives, where it could receive significant support. Unlike some previous attempts to place human rights pressure on Pakistan, the Pakistan Freedom and Accountability Act grants the President significant discretion on how to apply sanctions to designated officials. The bill is thus softer than earlier versions , including a similar bill sponsored by Republican Congressman Joe Wilson , which floundered because they required US sanctions on Pakistani officials, rather than giving the President the discretion and flexibility to apply sanctions
However, The people cited in the first instance are unsure about how the White House will respond to a bill demanding sanctions on Pakistani officials. Since the Trump administration took office, relations between Washington and Islamabad have warmed, including through high level meetings between US President Donald Trump and Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. The two countries have also agreed to cooperate on counter-terrorism, critical minerals development and natural resources. As such, the Trump administration may prove unwilling to place sanctions on top Pakistani officials. The people acknowledge this difficulty and state that part of the goal is to get the White House to engage more with lawmakers on the issue of human rights in Pakistan, even if the bill’s provisions are ultimately not implemented.
