Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan is in good physical health but suffering from isolation and psychological strain, his sister said on Tuesday after a rare supervised visit. The meeting followed weeks of restricted access that had fuelled concern about his wellbeing.
Uzma Khanum, one of Khan’s three sisters and a doctor, was the only family member permitted to see him at Adiala Jail, where supporters of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party gathered outside in protest over his detention conditions.
“He is physically well,” Khanum told reporters. “But he is kept inside all the time and only goes out for a short while. There is no contact with anybody.” She added that the meeting was tightly supervised, with no mobile devices allowed, and declined to share further details.
Family Concerns Over Limited Access
Khan, aged 73, has been imprisoned since August 2023 following his conviction in multiple corruption-related cases that he says are politically motivated. His family and PTI members claim routine visits have been blocked for weeks, despite court orders guaranteeing access.
Authorities deny mistreatment, saying Khan receives all standard prisoner entitlements. Talal Chaudhry, Minister of State for Interior, said decisions about visitation “rest with jail officials and not with the government.”
Last week, Khan’s son told Reuters that the family had not had direct or verifiable contact with him for more than three weeks and feared “something irreversible” might be hidden about his condition. The family has also repeatedly requested permission for Khan’s personal doctor to examine him a request denied for over a year.
Rights Group Urges Humane Treatment
Pakistan’s Human Rights Commission expressed alarm on social media, saying it was “seriously concerned” about reports of restrictive detention and limits on family meetings. It called regular access to relatives and legal counsel a “fundamental safeguard against isolation and misuse of detention powers” and urged authorities to meet constitutional and international standards for humane treatment.
Khan, who served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, remains one of Pakistan’s most influential political figures despite his imprisonment. His PTI party continues to claim that the legal cases against him are part of a broader campaign to sideline him from national politics.
(with inputs from Reuters)
