Imran Khan’s sons raise concerns over father’s prison conditions, limited contact
- Sons say they last met Imran in person in Nov 2022.
- Kasim Khan says father being held in 6×8 cell.
- “Jail conditions, including food, are awful.”
Sulaiman and Kasim, sons of incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, have expressed concern over the former prime minister’s prison conditions and “prolonged” lack of communication, saying court-mandated contact has not been consistently allowed.
“They [jail authorities] are not even allowing guards to speak to him [Imran] because they want total isolation from any other person just to try and break him,” Kasim said during an interview with journalist Mehdi Hasan.
Imran, the ousted prime minister, has been behind bars for more than two years. His incarceration, however, has consistently proved to be a flashpoint with the government as PTI protests, including scuffles with police and jail staff, continue over meetings with the ex-PM.
The last meeting with the jailed ex-PM was held on December 2 when his sister Uzma was allowed to meet him after the former ruling party raised concerns for his health and even threatened to hold a protest outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and then march towards the jail.
Amid all this hullabaloo, the government, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry and PM’s adviser on political affairs Rana Sanaullah, hinted at transferring Imran to any other prison — a possibility denied by the Adiala jail administration, which has maintained that no such proposal was on the table.
During the interview — a four-minute preview of which is available to the public on Zeteo’s website, Hasan asked when the last time they spoke with their father was.
Sulaiman said he last spoke to his father at the end of July, despite court orders allowing weekly calls. Kasim said his most recent conversation with Imran lasted around six minutes and took place approximately three months ago.
However, responding to the claim, Geo News reporter Shabbir Dar wrote on X that the jailed PTI founder himself told the journalists that his conversation with his sons last for half an hour or so.
Asked about in-person meetings, Sulaiman said the last time they had met Imran was in November 2022, following an assassination attempt on the PTI founder’s life. “We went there for a week I think,” he said.
Kasim and Sulaiman were also asked about the government’s claims of treating Imran like a “prince” during his incarceration.
He said that Imran was being held in a cell that was six feet by eight inches, “barely enough to stand”.
“The conditions are awful. He is washing himself in brown, murky water. And the food he has is — he is not the one to complain — but it’s apparently dreadful. To be a prince is far from it,” he said.
Referring to PTI founder’s recent meeting with his sister Uzma, Kasim said the former premier was unhappy about the continued isolation. “He was just unhappy with the… complete isolation,” he said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s spokesperson, Mosharraf Zaidi, rejected the allegations, saying Imran is not held in a cell but in designated living quarters with access to outdoor space, exercise facilities, books and a private cook.
Issuing a statement to Zeteo in response to Imran’s sons interview, Zaidi said a medical officer monitors Imran’s meals and described claims of mistreatment as disinformation.
Zaidi said Imran’s children would be treated according to the law if they visited Pakistan, but warned authorities would act to prevent disorder if any visit became politicised.
Imran remains behind bars, as legal proceedings continue, with conviction in Toshakhana-2 case came as the latest blow to the former prime minister.
Imran faces dozens of cases filed since he was ousted from office in 2022, ranging from corruption to anti-terrorism and state secrets charges. The jailed PTI founder has denied wrongdoing in all the cases, which his party says are politically motivated.
