• Plan to visit their imprisoned father in January; describe his confinement in a ‘death cell’ under ‘awful conditions’
• Insist their father would never ‘cut a deal’ for his freedom
• PM Shehbaz’s spokesperson refutes claims; says the ex-premier has had nearly 900 visitors
KARACHI: As sons of former PM Imran Khan announced their plan to visit their imprisoned father in January, describing his confinement in a “death cell” under “awful’ conditions”, a government spokesperson denied the allegations of isolation, insisting the ousted leader has had hundreds of visitors.
In an interview with Sky News, Kasim and Suleiman Khan said they had applied for Pakistani visas, but expressed fears they might never see their father again, despite holding out hope following assurances from cabinet ministers that they will be allowed to enter the country.
“We are now planning to because they said it openly. So — unless they go against their word — we should be hopefully going in January,” Kasim Khan said. “We are worried we might never see him again.”
The London-based sons have been advocating for their father, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in 2022 and has been jailed since August on corruption charges he says are politically motivated.
During the interview, Kasim said there was no chance his father would agree to a political deal in exchange for his freedom.
“If he just took a deal and came over to us and lived in England, I know there would be this burning desire and this aching that he has left his country for dead. And he would be depressed, to be honest,” Kasim said. “He has a purpose which is far greater. So, you can only respect it.”
The brothers described grim detention conditions, citing family members who have been granted rare access. Suleiman Khan said the jail cell has been described as a “death cell.”
“The conditions are awful,” Kasim added. “There are barely any lights, sometimes the electricity is cut off, there’s dirty water ... completely substandard conditions that don’t meet international laws for any sort of prisoner.”
Suleiman said the family is calling for international pressure to ensure basic standards are met, arguing that it is “an effective way of forcing change in these situations.” He stressed the need for “independent monitoring” of his father’s condition inside the prison.
“We just want to ensure that basic human rights for our father are being respected,” he said. Asked why they believe the Pakistani authorities are keeping their father isolated, the brothers answered in unison: “Popularity”.
‘Doesn’t sound like solitary confinement’
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for PM Shehbaz Sharif pushed back against the claims, denying that Imran Khan is being held in solitary confinement and stating the former premier has had hundreds of visitors. Appearing on the same Sky News programme, Mosharraf Zaidi, the PM’s spokesperson for foreign media, said that while Mr Khan is entitled to one visit per week over about 112 weeks of incarceration, he has had 870 “unique visits”, including 137 with his sisters and 451 with his lawyers.
“This doesn’t sound like solitary confinement to me,” Mr Zaidi said, adding that Khan’s personal physician has also been allowed access.
He further said that neither he nor anyone in the government wanted to “get into an argument with two young men who have not seen their father in a long time but against whom there is no sanction to not see or not speak to their father”.
Mr Zaidi argued a recent three-and-a-half-week suspension of visits was due to “a huge security issue” created when interactions with family and lawyers became political meetings, citing prison rules that prohibit discussing political matters.
When asked by the host if the government views Mr Khan as a threat, Mr Zaidi replied, “Absolutely,” referencing Pakistan’s security and governance challenges.
He also dismissed the concerns raised by Khan’s family and a United Nations special rapporteur as stemming from “bad information” from people who have not visited Pakistan.
Published in Dawn, December 18th, 2025