LONDON: Senior British politician Khalid Mehmood has criticised Zac Goldsmith for writing to the UK foreign secretary over the conviction and imprisonment of former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan, describing the intervention as a matter of personal interest and an inappropriate attempt to influence an internal Pakistani legal matter.
Speaking on WE News English’ programme Insight, Mehmood said Goldsmith’s letter was “very light on facts” and appeared to rely heavily on claims made by Khan’s family and supporters.
Goldsmith, a former brother-in-law of Khan, is a member of the UK House of Lords. He wrote to the British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband urging the UK government to raise Khan’s conviction with Pakistan.
Imran Khan is a convicted prisoner serving sentences handed down by courts following legal proceedings in multiple cases. The former prime minister was convicted in corruption cases.
Goldsmith’s letter to UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband came after Khan’s sister, Uzma Khan, said on Friday that her brother was in good health and fit. Yet Zac Goldsmith fabricated a sympathy narrative.
British politician Mehmood said Khan’s case was being dealt with by Pakistani courts and that authorities had complied with court orders concerning his medical examination.
‘Pure self-interest’
Describing Goldsmith’s intervention, Mehmood said it was comparable to someone having a dispute at school and going home to complain to their parents.
“This is a pure self-interest issue that he’s raised himself,” Mehmood said, arguing that the matter was internal to Pakistan and that the country was dealing with it through its courts.
He questioned why Goldsmith had intervened when Khan’s legal proceedings were taking place in Pakistan.
“He has been convicted by a Pakistani court and he was allowed to move to the hospital for a medical checkup under the court orders which the Pakistani administration complied with,” Mehmood said.
Mehmood also questioned Goldsmith’s focus on the hospital where Khan was examined, saying the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) was a reputable medical facility and that security considerations could have influenced the decision over where Khan was taken.
Goldsmith’s claims lack factual evidence
Mehmood said Goldsmith’s letter lacked detailed factual evidence and appeared to have been based on information provided by Khan’s sister and other people close to him.
He said Goldsmith had not appeared to seek a broader account of the circumstances surrounding Khan’s medical examination before writing to the British government.
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Mehmood also said the former prime minister had received access to medical professionals from both the private and government-run hospitals.
According to Mehmood, doctors had examined Khan and his own physicians had been involved in discussions concerning his medical condition.
He questioned criticism of the authorities over Khan’s treatment, saying Khan had been given access to medical care and that Pakistani government had addressed the matter.
Goldsmith’s family connection with Imran Khan
Asked about Goldsmith’s continuing interest in Khan despite his divorce from Khan’s former wife, Jemima Goldsmith, Mehmood said Goldsmith’s principal remaining family connection was through Khan’s two sons, who are his nephews by marriage.
He likened Goldsmith’s intervention to a family member seeking help from a parent over a personal dispute.
Mehmood also questioned why Goldsmith had not raised similar concerns over other British nationals or people connected with Britain who were imprisoned in other countries.
No need for UK intervention
Mehmood said he did not expect the British government to intervene in Pakistan’s judicial proceedings.
He argued that governments generally regard judicial matters in other countries as internal issues and said Britain itself would resist attempts by foreign governments to intervene in its judicial affairs.
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“Wherever Pakistan has tried to make representation towards any people in the United Kingdom, the United Kingdom has said this is an internal issue of the judiciary in the United Kingdom,” he said.
He added that he therefore did not believe the British foreign secretary needed to intervene in Khan’s case.
Mehmood described Goldsmith’s letter as an “abuse of his own position” and said it could ultimately undermine Goldsmith’s own standing rather than influence the Pakistani authorities.
Mehmood said he did not expect the dispute over Goldsmith’s letter to affect relations between Pakistan and the United Kingdom.
He said Britain should instead focus on strengthening its broader relationship with Pakistan, which he described as an increasingly important country in regional diplomacy.
He pointed to Pakistan’s diplomatic engagement in the region and said closer relations would be in Britain’s interest.
Mehmood also criticised efforts by some Pakistani political figures and community organisations in Britain to draw the Pakistani diaspora into domestic political disputes.
He said Pakistani nationals and dual nationals living in Britain had established diplomatic channels through Pakistan’s High Commission and could raise concerns through those channels.
“Speak to the embassy. The high commissioner … will listen,” he said, arguing that direct diplomatic engagement was preferable to attempts to involve British government officials in Pakistan’s domestic political disputes.
