Fascism on rise in Pakistan: Former Pak envoy to UK

Attacking the Imran Khan-led government, Hasan wrote in his opinion piece published in Daily Times: "The government in Pakistan with its imminent collapse unfolding is seen intensifying its fascist stranglehold on dissent."

"It has unleashed a blitzkrieg crackdown not only on the media but opposition politicians, honourable members of civil and other dissenting voices with flood gates of violence against women and minorities especially the peace loving  ShiaHazara community—according to Human Rights Watch in a report it compiled  for year 2021. The report details constant increase in violence in treatment of minorities, abuse of women, children and less privileged members of Pakistani society," he said.

He said: "PTI authorities have let loose a reign of police terror to harass the weaker segments of the society. Most often its targeted victimisation include defenders of human rights and journalists for taking to task the high-handedness of the government especially its oppressive policies mainly targeting any one found on the right against the government."

Imran Khan took oath as the PM of Pakistan in 2018.

"Most prominent to be abused by the PTI government is the National Accountability Bureau, supposed to have been originally established by the former dictator President General Pervez Musharraf as his anti-corruption watchdog, to prosecute and intimidate political opponents, critics of the government, including Pakistan’s most prominent editor-journalist-owner of Jang/Geo group Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman who was forced to remain incarcerated for more than six months without bail. Not only that, cases of journalists and dissenters getting picked up in the middle of the night to be dropped badly bodily mauled by the so-called law-enforcers following great public hue and cry,"  Hasan wrote.