The sons of Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan say they fear authorities are hiding “something irreversible” about his condition, after more than three weeks with no evidence that he is still alive. Despite a court order allowing weekly prison visits, Khan’s family says they have had no verified contact for months.
“Not knowing whether your father is safe, injured, or even alive is a form of psychological torture,” his son Kasim Khan told Reuters in written remarks. “Today we have no verifiable information at all about his condition. Our greatest fear is that something irreversible is being hidden from us.”
The family has repeatedly requested access for Khan’s personal doctor, but those appeals have been denied. His physician has not been permitted to examine him for over a year. Pakistan’s interior ministry has not commented, but a prison official, speaking anonymously, said Khan was in good health and there were no plans to transfer him to a higher-security facility.
Former PM Serving Multiple Jail Sentences
Imran Khan, aged 73, has been imprisoned since August 2023 following a series of convictions he says were politically motivated after his ouster from power in 2022. His first conviction involved the Toshakhana case, which accused him of unlawfully selling state gifts received while in office.
Subsequent rulings added more prison time, including a 10-year sentence over the alleged leaking of a diplomatic cable and a 14-year term linked to the Al-Qadir Trust case. Prosecutors allege that Khan and his wife were involved in improper land deals connected to the trust.
Khan’s party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), insists the charges are part of a broader effort to remove him from public life and prevent his participation in elections.
Growing Family Anxiety and Media Silence
The family says the lack of communication and media restrictions have deepened their fears. Pakistani television networks have reportedly been instructed not to air Khan’s name or image, leaving a single grainy courtroom photo as the only recent glimpse of him.
“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 brother Suleiman Isa Khan live in London with their mother, Jemima Goldsmith. They last saw their father in November 2022, shortly after he survived an assassination attempt. “That image has stayed with me ever since,” Kasim said. “Now, after weeks of total silence and no proof of life, that memory carries a different weight.”
The brothers say they are pursuing every legal and diplomatic channel, including appeals to international human rights bodies, to restore access to their father. “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.”
(with inputs from Reuters)
