Imran Khan’s children worry about former PM’s well-being in custody

Jailed since Aug 2023, former PM faces politically motivated cases after 2022 ouster

The sons of Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan have expressed deep concern that authorities may be hiding “something irreversible” about his condition after more than three weeks with no verifiable evidence that he is still alive.

Speaking to Reuters, Imran’s son Kasim Khan said the family has had no direct or verifiable contact with him, despite a court order mandating weekly prison visits. “Not knowing whether your father is safe, injured or even alive is a form of psychological torture,” he said. “Today, we have no verifiable information at all about his condition. Our greatest fear is that something irreversible is being hidden from us”.

Read: Officials assuage fears over Imran’s health

The family has repeatedly sought access for Imran’s personal physician, who has been barred from examining him for over a year, Kasim added. Pakistan’s Interior Ministry did not respond to requests for comment. A jail official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Imran was in good health and that he was unaware of any plans to move him to a higher-security facility.

Imran, 72, has been in prison since August 2023, convicted in multiple cases he claims were politically motivated following his removal from office in a 2022 parliamentary vote. His first conviction, known as the Toshakhana case, involved accusations of unlawfully selling gifts received in office. Subsequent verdicts added lengthy sentences, including 10 years for leaking a diplomatic cable and 14 years in a graft case related to the Al-Qadir Trust, a charity project prosecutors say involved improper land deals.

Imran’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has maintained that the prosecutions are aimed at excluding him from public life and elections.

Family anxiety deepens amid lack of information

The family says the lack of communication has intensified fears of a deliberate attempt to push Imran out of public sight. Television channels have reportedly been instructed not to show Imran’s name or image, leaving only a single grainy court photograph online since his imprisonment.

“This isolation is intentional,” Kasim said. “They are scared of him. He is Pakistan’s most popular leader, and they know they cannot defeat him democratically.” Kasim and his older brother, Suleiman Isa Khan, who live in London with their mother, Jemima Goldsmith, have largely remained removed from Pakistan’s dynastic politics.

Read More: PTI to stage protest outside Adiala Jail

Kasim recalled the last time he saw his father in November 2022 after 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.

He further added, “We were told he would recover with time. Now, after weeks of total silence and no proof of life, that memory carries a different weight”.

The family is pursuing domestic and international avenues, including appeals to human rights organisations, and is demanding that court-ordered visits be restored immediately. “This is not just a political dispute,” Kasim said. “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”.