Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s sons, Sulaiman Khan and Qasim Khan, have publicly spoken for the first time about their father’s imprisonment, expressing concern over his deteriorating condition and appealing to the international community for support.
In an interview with social media influencer Mario Nawfal, the two sons highlighted that they have exhausted nearly all legal avenues and now see going public as the only option left to secure their father’s release.
Imran Khan has been imprisoned at Adiala Jail since August 2023, currently serving a sentence in the £190 million corruption case while also facing multiple charges under the Anti-Terrorism Act related to the May 9, 2023 protests.
Qasim Khan said that,““We’ve gone through the legal routes. We’ve gone through every route that we thought would potentially get him out. We never thought he would be in there a fraction of how long he’s been in there. And it’s only getting worse. And, so, we’ve somewhat run out of those options. And now we’ve decided the only route of taking action is to come and speak publicly.”
Sulaiman Khan echoed similar sentiments, stating that they’ve tried every legal path, but nothing has worked. There seems to be complete silence from the international media on this issue. He said,“What we want is international pressure on Pakistan right now, because currently he’s living in inhumane conditions. They’re not giving him basic human rights. They’re not really doing anywhere near enough. And what we want is global pressure.”
“We’ve exhausted other options [and] legal avenues and it’s gone very quiet. It seems, in the international media, it seems to have gone very quiet,” he added.
Responding to a question about support from former US official Richard Grenell, Sulaiman acknowledged the gesture, although he said they haven’t been in direct contact with him. He thanked Grenell for “whatever support he has shown so far.”
When asked about a message for the Trump administration, he said,“We’d call for any government that supports free speech and proper democracy to join the call for our father’s release.”
“We’d love to speak to Trump or try and figure out a way where he would be able to help out in some way. Because, at the end of the day, all we’re trying to do is free our father, bring democracy in Pakistan and just ensure his basic human rights,” Imran Khan’s son added.
Court hands lengthy terms to Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi in £190 million case
Both brothers confirmed they have spoken to Imran Khan only once in the last two to three months, despite a court ruling in November 2023 allowing them weekly contact. They also clarified that they have no intention of joining politics and had taken their father’s permission before speaking out in the interview.
