More than 40 US lawmakers have called on outgoing President Joe Biden to press the Pakistani government to ensure the release of former PM Imran Khan and other 'political prisoners' before the end of his tenure.

The letter, sent by 46 Democrat and Republican lawmakers on Friday, was the second such communication in less than a month, reported Dawn News.

This letter was jointly initiated by Democratic Congresswoman Susan Wild and her Republican counterpart John James.

According to reports, 26 Republicans signed the letter.

It highlighted Pakistan’s “deteriorating human rights situation” following the Feb 2024 elections, which were allegedly “flawed” and marred by “widespread irregularities, electoral fraud, and “state-led suppression” of PTI, the Pakistani newspaper reported.

“We urgently call on the US government to advocate for the immediate release of former Prime Minister Khan and all political prisoners,” the lawmakers urged in the letter.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar accused the main opposition PTI of inviting foreign interference to destabilise the political situation in Pakistan.

“By formally inviting foreign intervention in Pakistan’s internal affairs, the PTI has completely contradicted its earlier narrative of ‘absolutely not to US interference’ and shifted to ‘absolutely need US intervention’. This is yet another u-turn,”  Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme and PML-N leader Rana Mashhood was quoted as saying by Dawn News.