Jailed PTI founder Imran Khan’s son, Kasim Khan, fears that authorities are concealing “something irreversible” about his father’s condition.

The remarks come as the PTI and Imran’s sisters have protested and staged sit-ins outside Adiala jail, where he is imprisoned, after being barred from meeting him for over three weeks.

As court-ordered prison visits stay blocked and rumours swirl about possible prison transfers, Kasim told Reuters the family has had no direct or verifiable contact with the ex-prime minister, despite a judicial order for weekly meetings.

“Not knowing whether your father is safe, injured or even alive is a form of psychological torture,” he said in written remarks, adding 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.”

The family has repeatedly sought access for Imran’s personal physician, who has not been allowed to examine him for more than a year, he added.

The interior ministry did not respond to a Reuters request for comment on the matter.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a jail official told Reuters that Imran was in good health, adding that he was not aware of any plan for a move to a higher-security facility.

Imran, 72, has been in jail since August 2023, convicted in a string of cases he says were politically driven following his ouster in a 2022 no-confidence vote.

His first conviction was in the Toshakhana case and centred on accusations that he unlawfully sold gifts received in office. Later verdicts added lengthy jail terms, including 10 years in the cipher case and 14 years in the Al Qadir Trust corruption case.

The PTI has alleged that the prosecution’s aim in cases against Imran was to exclude him from public life and elections, which were held in 2024.

Family anxiety deepened by lack of information

Imran’s family says the lack of communication has fuelled fears over what it calls a deliberate effort to push Imran out of public sight.

“This isolation is intentional,” Kasim said, referring to the authorities he believes are keeping his father cut off.

“They are scared of him. He is Pakistan’s most popular leader, and they know they cannot defeat him democratically.”

Kasim and his older brother Suleiman Isa Khan, who live in London with their mother, Jemima Goldsmith, have kept a distance from Pakistan’s politics.

The brothers have spoken publicly only sparingly, mainly about their father’s imprisonment.

Kasim added that the last time they saw their father was in November 2022, when they visited Pakistan 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,” Kasim 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.”

The family was pursuing internal and external avenues, such as appeals to international human rights organisations, and wanted court-ordered access restored immediately, he said.

“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.”

Meanwhile, Jemima responded to an interview between Zeteo’s Mehdi Hasan and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, wherein the latter says Imran’s sons can meet their father.

“They’re not even allowed to speak to him on the phone. No one is,” she said.

HRCP ‘concerned’ over limitations on Imran’s prison meetings

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed concern over the conditions in which the PTI founder is being incarcerated and the repeated denial of meetings with his family or 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,” the body wrote on X.

HRCP called on the federal government and Punjab Home Department to ensure that all practices “comply with constitutional due-process protections and international standards for humane treatment”.