U.S. Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Sanction Pakistan Army Chief Over Political Persecution

A bipartisan duo of U.S. lawmakers has introduced legislation calling for sanctions on Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir and other generals and officials for the prosecution of political opponents, including the imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The bill, titled the Pakistan Democracy Act, was moved by the Republican Party’s Joe Wilson and the Democratic Party’s Jimmy Panetta. The bill envisions these sanctions within



180 days of the enactment of the legislation, under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act of 2017, which has been used by the U.S. to sanction foreign officials. 

The bill accuses General Munir of knowingly engaging in the wrongful persecution and imprisonment of political opponents. It also seeks to identify others purportedly involved in this ‘persecution’ and target them for similar actions.