Jailed PTI founder Imran Khan’s son, Kasim Khan, has voiced alarm that authorities may be concealing “something irreversible” about his father’s condition.
His concern follows continued protests and sit-ins by PTI leaders and Imran’s sisters outside Adiala jail, where the former prime minister is being held, after being prevented from meeting him for more than three weeks.
Despite a court order allowing weekly prison visits, the family has had no direct or verifiable contact with Imran, Kasim told Reuters, as restrictions remain in place and speculation grows over possible transfers to another facility.
“Not knowing whether your father is safe, injured or even alive is a form of psychological torture,” he said in written remarks, noting that there had been no independently confirmed communication for a couple of months. “Today we have no verifiable information at all about his condition,” he added. “Our greatest fear is that something irreversible is being hidden from us.”
He said the family has repeatedly sought access for Imran’s personal physician, who has been denied the chance to examine him for more than a year.
Pakistan’s interior ministry did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment. A jail official, speaking anonymously, said Imran was in good health and that he was unaware of any plan to shift him to a higher-security facility.
Imran, 72, has been in prison since August 2023 after convictions in multiple cases he claims are politically motivated following his 2022 ouster in a no-confidence vote. His first conviction was in the Toshakhana case over allegedly selling state gifts, followed by lengthy sentences in the cipher case and the Al Qadir Trust case.
The PTI maintains that the prosecutions were designed to sideline Imran from public life and the 2024 elections.
Family anxiety grows amid silence
Imran’s family says the extended lack of communication has intensified their fear of what they believe is a deliberate attempt to keep him hidden from public view.
“This isolation is intentional,” Kasim said, accusing authorities of cutting his father off. “They are scared of him. He is Pakistan’s most popular leader, and they know they cannot defeat him democratically.”
Kasim and his elder brother, Suleiman Isa Khan, who live in London with their mother, Jemima Goldsmith, have largely stayed away from politics, speaking rarely except about their father’s imprisonment.
Kasim said the last time they saw Imran was in November 2022, when they visited after he survived 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. “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.”
He said the family is pursuing both domestic and international avenues, including appeals to human rights bodies, to restore court-ordered access. “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.”
Responding to Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s claim in a Zeteo interview that Imran’s sons can meet him, Jemima said, “They’re not even allowed to speak to him on the phone. No one is.”
HRCP voices concern
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said it was concerned about the conditions of Imran’s incarceration and the repeated denial of meetings with family members and lawyers.
“Allegations indicating that he has been unable to meet close relatives, associates or legal counsel warrant urgent clarification, as regular and unhindered access to immediate family and counsel is a fundamental safeguard against isolation and misuse of detention powers,” it wrote on X.
HRCP urged the federal government and the Punjab Home Department to ensure that all procedures “comply with constitutional due-process protections and international standards for humane treatment.”
