Fatima Payman (WA, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Today, I rise to address a grave injustice that undermines democracy and silences dissent, not only in Pakistan but through the ripple effects felt here in Australia. My constituents believe that the former Prime Minister Imran Khan was detained to block him from contesting in free and fair elections. His arbitrary detention and the denial of free and fair trials, as documented by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and Amnesty International, are part of a broader campaign to deny people the right to democratically elect their leaders. When Pakistanis protested this injustice, thousands were arrested. Even those abroad, including Australians of Pakistani heritage, were targeted through transnational repression, threats to their families back home, surveillance and intimidation—all tools of control used by the military regime led by General Asim Munir. This is not about one man. It's about silencing an entire population to prop up a government whose mandate is deeply questionable, imposed by a military regime that has hijacked Pakistan's democracy.

The October election, widely deemed the most rigged in Pakistan's history, should have been scrutinised by the Commonwealth observer mission. Instead, its final report remains unpublished, allegedly at the request of Pakistan's military. Why isn't that report public? Even worse, Australia and other Commonwealth countries are arguably complicit in this abuse, not just in enabling repression abroad but in failing to protect their own nationals from the long arm of a military backed regime. Over the weekend, Australians took to the streets in every major city, demanding justice for Pakistan and protection for freedoms here. Their message is clear, and it echoes the saying of Dr Martin Luther King Jr: 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.' Today, I call on the Albanese Labor government to demand the release of the Commonwealth observer mission report, to unequivocally condemn transnational repression and to ensure that Australians, regardless of heritage, can speak freely without fear. Further, we should join the calls coming from our counterparts in the United States Congress to impose visa bans and asset freezes on General Asim Munir and others involved in corruption and human rights abuses. Anything less is complicity. Justice demands no less.

Senate adjourned a t 20:23