Concerns for the safety of jailed PTI founder and Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan deepened on Sunday as his son, Kasim Khan, voiced fears that authorities may be concealing “something irreversible” about his father’s condition.
Kasim’s remarks come amid ongoing protests and sit-ins by the PTI and Imran Khan’s sisters outside Adiala Jail, where the former prime minister has been imprisoned since August 2023. The family has been barred from visiting him for over three weeks, despite court orders mandating weekly meetings.
“Not knowing whether your father is safe, injured, or even alive is a form of psychological torture,” Kasim said in written statements to Reuters. He added that the family has had no verifiable communication with Imran for months, and expressed alarm over what he described as a deliberate attempt to isolate the former leader.
“Today we have no verifiable information at all about his condition,” Kasim said. “Our greatest fear is that something irreversible is being hidden from us.” The family has repeatedly sought access for Imran’s personal physician, who has reportedly been denied examination rights for over a year.
An unnamed jail official told Reuters that Imran is in good health and said there are no plans to transfer him to a higher-security facility. The Interior Ministry did not respond to requests for comment.
Imran, 72, has been convicted in several high-profile cases, including the Toshakhana case, the cipher case, and the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case, resulting in multiple jail sentences. He maintains that all convictions are politically motivated, aimed at keeping him out of public life and barring him from participating in the 2024 elections.
The lack of communication has fueled family fears over a deliberate effort to isolate Imran, Kasim said. “This isolation is intentional. They are scared of him. He is Pakistan’s most popular leader, and they know they cannot defeat him democratically,” he added.
Kasim and his elder brother Suleiman Isa Khan, who live in London with their mother Jemima Goldsmith, have generally kept a low profile in Pakistan’s politics. Kasim noted that the last time the brothers saw their father was in November 2022, following an assassination attempt. “That image has stayed with me ever since. Seeing our father in that state is something you don’t forget,” he said.
The family is pursuing both domestic and international avenues, including appeals to human rights organisations, to restore court-mandated access. “This is not just a political dispute. It is a human rights emergency. Pressure must come from every direction. We draw strength from him, but we need to know he is safe,” Kasim emphasized.
Meanwhile, Jemima Goldsmith criticized remarks by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who had suggested that Imran’s sons could meet their father. “They’re not even allowed to speak to him on the phone. No one is,” she said, highlighting the severe restrictions on contact. The situation has intensified political tensions in Pakistan, as supporters of the PTI demand immediate access to the former prime minister and renewed transparency regarding his well-being.
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