PTI founder Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khanum, clarified on Saturday that his sons have applied for National Identity Cards for Overseas Pakistanis (Nicops) as well as visas to visit Pakistan.

Imran, imprisoned since August 2023, is serving a sentence at the Adiala Jail in a £190 million corruption case and also faces pending trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act related to the protests of May 9, 2023. His sons, Sulaiman Khan and Kasim Khan, have been protesting his incarceration, but uncertainty remains as to whether they will be visiting Pakistan.

A day ago, Aleema said they had applied for visas and were waiting for approval from the interior ministry. That had prompted Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry to ask why they would need visas if they had the Nicop, as she had previously said.

Clarifying the matter today while speaking to reporters at Adiala Jail, she said: “The Nicop of one [of the brothers] is missing and the other can’t find his card so they’ve submitted two applications: one to issue their Nicop, which is valid for the next six to seven years … and they have also applied for the visa which can be issued within an hour.

“It’s their choice. They have Nicop, they have British passports. So what issue do they (the interior ministry) have in issuing a visa?”

She stated that she had access to tracking numbers for the applications, challenging claims that the applications were not received.

Meanwhile, Chaudhry said the siblings would be treated as dual nationals if they arrived on the basis of the Nicop. “If they choose to seek consular assistance as British citizens, they are still entitled to do so regardless of whether they entered on a Visa or Nicop.”

Sulaiman, 28, and Kasim, 26, called attention to their father’s incarceration for the first time publicly in May. Last month, Aleema said they would go to the United States before coming to Pakistan as part of a movement calling for the ex-premier’s release. The siblings visited the US and engaged US lawmakers on the issue of their father’s incarceration.

Earlier this week, the PTI swiftly rubbished media reports claiming that the incarcerated leader told reporters at Adiala Jail that his sons would not be coming to Pakistan and taking part in or leading any protest.

Although the government has not officially commented on the matter of Imran’s sons, Chaudhry previously questioned what, if any, role they would be able to play, adding that they were welcome to visit Pakistan and there would be no obstacle for them. He continued that visas would be issued to them “in less than 24 hours”, provided they stayed within the law.

Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik had told Dawn.com that Article 16 of the Constitution, which grants the right to gather, was applicable to citizens and foreigners are not allowed to assemble in Pakistan.

Malik also said that the two brothers could not legally participate in local political activity as they were British nationals, and that if they “violate the visa conditions, the visa can be cancelled”.

There were conflicting statements from PML-N leaders as well on whether the duo would be allowed entry into Pakistan, with Senator Irfan Siddiqui saying they should be allowed to come and “carry out their activities”, but within the limitations of the law.