Press Release
January 21, 2025
For Immediate Release
Coalition to Change U.S. Policy on Pakistan (CUSP)
Contact: dc.office@changeuspakpolicy.org
Thousands join letter congratulating President Trump, seek reversal of Biden support for Pakistan’s unpopular political and military elites
Washington, D.C. — Thousands of Pakistani-Americans, members of the global Pakistani diaspora, and Americans supporters sent a joint letter to President Trump today, offering their congratulations on his inauguration as the 47th U.S. president and urging his administration to take decisive action to reverse Biden-era policies that emboldened the authoritarian regime and undermined democratic values in Pakistan. The signatories join the growing calls from Congress to impose targeted sanctions on Pakistan’s authoritarian military elites, which would reduce U.S. complicity in further human rights abuses by the regime.
The letter states that President Trump’s “return to office has generated hope and enthusiasm across the Pakistani-American community,” adding that many believe his leadership can help “reverse the Biden-era policy of supporting the military-backed regime in Pakistan.” The letter laments that the Biden administration “alienated large segments of the Pakistani population and diaspora” by signaling support for the removal of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and then providing political and diplomatic cover for his ouster — echoing harsh bipartisan criticism from dozens of members of Congress in November.
The Pakistani-American-led group noted that President Trump’s “consistent focus on ending wars and undoing the damage done by the Biden administration resonated with our community in an unprecedented way,” expressing their view that “the same powerful national security elites that vehemently opposed your agenda also launched a similar effort against Imran Khan,” referring to the unjustly imprisoned former prime minister who is widely seen as the most popular leader in Pakistan. Many influential Pakistani-American groups took the unprecedented step of endorsing President Trump over his opponent during the 2024 election, while U.S.-based Pakistani-American leaders held meetings with members of Trump’s family and inner circle, including hosting Trump Envoy Richard Grenell in Michigan.
The letter highlights the recent escalation by the military regime against its own people, who had engaged in historic protests seeking recognition of impartial election results and freedom for political prisoners. “In November, regime security forces, reportedly under direct orders of the Pakistani military, opened fire on a large pro-democracy rally, killing and injuring hundreds,” the letter states, adding that families of the victims were subsequently intimidated to prevent justice. The letter also points to the regime’s violent repression of his supporters, including mass arrests, sham trials, and the abduction and torture of journalists and social media activists, as evidence of the urgent need for U.S. to change its policy of providing direct and indirect support to Pakistan’s corrupt military and political elites.
The signatories highlight specific policy actions that they urge President Trump to consider, including targeting the political and military elites with visa bans, asset freezes, and pauses in U.S. aid to Pakistan, all of which would make clear that the previous era of U.S. support for the authoritarian regime has come to an end. These demands echo calls by over 60 members of Congress in October, who had expressed frustration over “the delay in announcing visa bans and/or asset freezes for Pakistani elites engaged in human rights abuses,” urging the establishment of a timeline for the announcement of such actions.
The full text of the letter follows below, including the list of initial signatories (the full list of signatories is being kept private to reduce the risk of transnational repression by the Pakistani regime against them or their families):
January 21, 2025
Dear President Trump,
On behalf of the Pakistani-American community and Pakistanis worldwide, we write to congratulate you on your historic election victory as the 47th President of the United States of America. Your consistent focus on ending wars and undoing the damage done by the Biden administration resonated with our community in an unprecedented way.
As you prepare to assume the Presidency, we would like to take this opportunity to bring to your attention a matter that is very close to the hearts of the over one million-strong and thriving Pakistani-American community: the state of dwindling democracy in Pakistan and the continued illegal incarceration of former Prime Minister Imran Khan by the Pakistan military, which has imposed authoritarian control over the country with the tacit approval of the Biden administration.
Many of the same powerful national security elites that vehemently opposed your agenda also launched a similar effort against Imran Khan. He is a victim of a Biden-era policy to target leaders around the world who challenged their dictates, including by seeking neutrality on matters such as the conflict in Ukraine. The Biden administration alienated large segments of the Pakistani population and diaspora by signaling disapproval of Imran Khan to military regime officials, and then provided steady political and diplomatic cover for his removal, which led to the reimposition of deeply unpopular and corrupt parties controlled by the military.
To date, around 10,000 supporters of Imran Khan’s movement have been unjustly prisoned, senior pro-democracy leaders face sham trials, and journalists and social media activists are routinely abducted, tortured, and forced to flee from Pakistan — taking protection in the US, UK, and other countries. In November, regime security forces, reportedly under direct orders of the Pakistani military, opened fire on a large pro-democracy rally, killing and injuring hundreds, and then attempted to cover up the crime by intimidating doctors and victims’ families. In the case of Khadijah Shah, a prominent fashion designer and U.S. citizen who was illegally arrested and persecuted, the Biden administration refused to advocate for her release, signaling to the world that even the protection of U.S. citizens was a lower priority than safeguarding the military’s grip on power.
For decades, the Pakistani Army and corrupt political elites have siphoned billions of dollars in U.S. aid while spreading anti-American sentiment among the Pakistani people, robbing both the American taxpayer and the people of Pakistan in the name of “development” and the “War on Terror.” Many of these same elite recipients of U.S. largesse in Pakistan have been among the most vocal critics of democratically-elected leaders including both you and Imran Khan.
Your return to office has generated hope and enthusiasm across the Pakistani-American community, as we believe your leadership can reverse the Biden-era policy of supporting the military-backed regime in Pakistan and restore democracy, through both the release of Imran Khan from any form of unjust detention, as well as the recognition of genuine and verifiable election results. If necessary, these goals can be achieved with credible U.S. warnings of impending consequences for Pakistan’s military and political elite, such as visa bans and asset freezes of senior officials, including Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) designations, a pause in USAID funding, and/or a suspension of coveted U.S. military training.
These actions will not only win overwhelming support from the Pakistani-American community, but also capture the hearts and minds of 250 million people in Pakistan and beyond, as Imran Khan is considered to be the most popular leader in the Muslim world. Your support in this matter would truly transform U.S.-Pakistan relations and set a new trajectory in the region at a time when the U.S. needs trustworthy allies around the world.
Sincerely,
Dr. Moeed Pirzada, Journalist & Editor GVS
Wajahat S. Khan, Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council
Dr. Salman Ahmad, UN Goodwill Ambassador, Junoon
Dr. Mohammad Munir Khan, President, Democracy And Human Rights Alliance (DHRA)
Dr. Saira Bilal, First Pakistan Global
Hafeez Chaudhry, Founder, Vision for Pakistan
Dr. Malik Usman, Pakistani-American Physicians Association
Zeynab Ali, New York University
Nazish Riaz, Friends of Democratic Pakistan
Faruk Zia, Senior Adviser, Democracy And Human Rights Alliance (DHRA)
Nasir Ali, Coalition to Change U.S. Policy on Pakistan (CUSP)
Junaid Khan, Voice of Pakistani Americans (VOPA)
Sy Al, AmeriPak Alliance
Tariq Khan, Human Rights Activist