Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan’s sons have said they are planning to travel to Pakistan in January after being told they were welcome to visit their jailed father, amid mounting concerns over his safety and prison conditions. Speaking to Sky News, Kasim and Suleiman Khan said visits remain blocked and described his detention as a “death cell”. Their remarks come as PTI supporters staged fresh protests outside Adiala jail and a UN expert warned that Khan’s treatment may amount to inhumane or degrading punishment under international human rights law.
Blocked Visits And jail claims
In the interview, the brothers said their father’s prison visits had been repeatedly denied, leaving them anxious about his health and well-being. They alleged that Imran Khan is being held in conditions that fall far below international standards, with poor lighting, frequent power cuts and dirty water. Suleiman described the cell as “completely substandard”, while Kasim said the conditions were not merely difficult but “awful”. PTI leaders have echoed these concerns, accusing authorities of using chemical-laced water to disperse a recent sit-in staged by Khan’s sisters outside Adiala jail.
‘No Deal, No exit’
The brothers said they were planning the January visit after Pakistan’s defence minister, Khawaja Asif, publicly said they were welcome to see their father. Kasim said they had applied for visas and were hopeful they would be granted. Asked whether they would urge Imran Khan to strike a deal and leave politics, Kasim said such a choice would devastate him, adding that his father views the fight against corruption as his life’s purpose.
He said that while the family would love to have their father living with them in the UK, Khan would feel he had abandoned Pakistan. That, Kasim added, would leave him deeply unhappy. The brothers said their father often refuses to discuss his jail conditions during rare conversations, instead asking about family matters, including his late mother-in-law, Lady Annabel Goldsmith, who died in October. A UN special rapporteur has meanwhile warned that Khan’s detention could amount to inhumane or degrading treatment. The government has denied wrongdoing in the case.
