Imprisoned since August 2023, former prime minister faces politically motivated cases after ouster in 2022
A supporter of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party holds a cellphone with a photo of Khan during a protest over concerns over their leader’s health in Karachi, Pakistan November 28, 2025. REUTERS
The sons of jailed former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan have expressed deep concern that authorities may be hiding “something irreversible” about his condition after more than three weeks without any verifiable evidence that he is still alive.
Speaking to Reuters, Imran’s son Kasim Khan said the family had had no direct or verifiable contact with him, despite a court order requiring weekly visits to the prison. “Not knowing if your father is safe, injured or even alive is a form of psychological torture,” he said. “Today we have no verifiable information on his condition. Our greatest fear is that something irreversible is being hidden from us.”
Read: Authorities allay fears over Imran’s health
The family repeatedly requested that Imran’s personal doctor be able to examine him, who has been barred from examining him for more than a year, Kasim added. Pakistan’s Interior Ministry did not respond to requests for comment. A prison official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Imran was in good health and was not aware of any plans to transfer him to a higher security facility.
Imran, 72, has been in prison since August 2023, convicted in several cases he said were politically motivated after his impeachment in a 2022 parliamentary vote. His first conviction, known as the Toshakhana case, related to charges of illegally selling gifts received in office. Subsequent verdicts added lengthy sentences, including 10 years for leaking a diplomatic cable and 14 years in a corruption case linked to the Al-Qadir Trust, a charitable project that prosecutors said involved improper land deals.
Imran’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has argued that the legal proceedings are aimed at excluding him from public life and elections.
Family anxiety worsens over lack of information
The family says the lack of communication has intensified fears of a deliberate attempt to push Imran out of the public eye. TV channels were reportedly instructed not to broadcast Imran’s name or image, leaving only a single grainy photo from the courtroom online from his imprisonment.
“This isolation is intentional,” Kasim said. “They are afraid 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 remained largely distanced from Pakistan’s dynastic politics.
Learn more: PTI to stage protest outside Adiala jail
Kasim remembers the last time he saw his father in November 2022 after an assassination attempt. “This image has stayed with me ever since. Seeing our father in this state is something we never forget,” he said.
He added: “We were told he would recover in time. Now, after weeks of total silence and no evidence of life, this memory has a different weight.”
The family is pursuing domestic and international representations, including through human rights organizations, and demanding that court-ordered visits be reinstated immediately. “This is not just a political dispute,” Kasim said. “This is a human rights emergency. Pressure must come from all directions. We draw strength from him, but we need to know that he is safe.”
