Sons claim Imran kept in isolation

The government on Saturday vehemently denied the allegations lebelled by the sons of incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan, Kasim and Sulaiman, that their father is being kept in isolation in jail, stating that these were "clear torture tactics".

The government's reaction came after the two made the remarks in an interview with British journalist Mehdi Hasan.

In the interview with Hasan, Kasim and Sulaiman, were asked about the government's claims of treating Imran like a "prince" during his incarceration.

"Couldn't be less true," replied Kasim. He said that Imran was being held in a cell that was six feet by eight inches, "barely enough to stand".

"The conditions are awful. He is washing himself in brown, murky water. And the food he has is — he is not the one to complain — but it's apparently dreadful. To be a prince is far from it," he said.

During the interview, Hassan also asked the two about the last time they were able to speak to their father.

In response, Sulaiman said he last spoke to Imran "at the end of July".

"The court in Pakistan mandates that we have weekly calls but that's just never been followed throughout his time in prison, which is over two years now," he said.

"I spoke to him for about six minutes last, around September," Kasim said.

Sulaiman said that the last time they had met Imran was in November 2022, following an assassination attempt on the PTI founder's life. "We went there for a week I think," he said.

Meanwhile, Mosharraf Zaidi, who is Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's spokesperson for foreign media, in response to the interview, dismissed the claims made by Imran's sons on his alleged "isolation".

"He does not spend any time at all in a 'cell'. As a prisoner whose security and well-being [are] a priority for the state, he has designated living quarters," Zaidi said.

Separately, Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry, while speaking to the media in Faisalabad on Saturday, dismissed the allegation that the former premier was being kept in isolation, warning his family and the party not to play the "sympathy card".

"How could he (Imran) be alone in a jail that has 1,200 inmates?" the minister asked, saying that Imran had access to gym equipment, a personal cook, among other facilities.