Asked if they have a message for PTI supporters, Kasim asks them to “keep the faith and keep fighting”.
Sulaiman Khan and Kasim Khan, sons of jailed former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, pose for a photo on the day of an interview with Reuters in London, Britain, February 16, 2026. — REUTERS
Imran Khan’s sons have questioned his medical report and say they fear for their father’s health in prison, while seeking permission to visit the former prime minister and urging authorities to grant him access after more than two years apart.
Imran’s lawyer Salman Safdar told the Supreme Court last week that the ex-prime minister had lost significant vision in his right eye while in detention. A medical board said Monday that the swelling went down after treatment and his vision improved.
Talk to Reuters In London, where they are based, Khan’s sons Kasim and Sulaiman, 26 and 29, said they were unsure of the medical report. They spoke to their father on Thursday for the first time since September.
They said their father usually avoids talking about his health, but during the call he expressed frustration, saying he had been denied treatment for his eye for a few months.
“It’s hard sometimes not to feel depressed because we’ve been away from him for so long,” Kasim said of his father, adding that he should be transferred to a proper medical facility and given access to his private doctors.
Authorities say medical procedures are underway and reject the opposition’s allegations of negligence. The Supreme Court has asked for details of his treatment.
Imprisoned since August 2023
Imran, 73, has been imprisoned since August 2023 after convictions that he and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party say were politically motivated.
Since his ouster in 2022 in a vote of no confidence, he has faced numerous cases, including involving state gifts and an illegal marriage. Some convictions have been suspended or overturned, and appeals are underway. He denies any wrongdoing.
Kasim and Sulaiman grew up in Britain after Imran’s divorce from their mother, British socialite and filmmaker Jemima Goldsmith. They have not seen their father since November 2022 after he survived an assassination attempt. They said they applied for a visa last month but have not yet received a response.
Sulaiman said, when asked why there might be a delay, that authorities might “fear that if we went to see him it would create more noise” and draw more attention to his situation.
The Pakistani Embassy in London and the Foreign Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Kasim said their immediate concern was his health, but there were other pressing matters, including “his freedom, respecting the correct human rights processes and also the rule of law and just ensuring that he has the right to a proper and fair trial”.
The PTI came to power in 2018 and maintains a broad support base in all provinces.
For four days, PTI supporters blocked major highways connecting Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa with Punjab, stranding thousands of vehicles and affecting fuel and food supplies in some areas.
Asked if they had a message for PTI supporters, Kasim asked them to “keep the faith and keep fighting”, adding: “It’s the same kind of message we are trying to hold on to.”
