London/Islamabad, December 1,2025: The sons of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan have expressed grave concern over the lack of verified information about their father’s condition, saying authorities appear to be concealing “something irreversible” after more than three weeks without any evidence that he is still alive.
In remarks shared with Reuters, Kasim Khan said the family has been denied all direct and independently verifiable contact with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder, despite a court order permitting weekly prison visits.
“Not knowing whether your father is safe, injured, or even alive is a form of psychological torture,” Kasim said, noting that the family has not received any independently confirmed communication for “a couple of months.”
“Today, we have no verifiable information at all about his condition. Our greatest fear is that something irreversible is being hidden from us,” he added.
The family has also repeatedly sought access for Imran Khan’s personal physician, who, according to Kasim, has not been allowed to examine him for more than a year.
Pakistan’s Interior Ministry did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment. However, a jail official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Imran Khan was in good health and added he was not aware of any plans to move him to a higher-security facility.
Khan, 72, has been imprisoned since August 2023 following several convictions that he maintains are politically motivated. His trials have ranged from the Toshakhana case — involving the sale of gifts received while in office — to a 10-year sentence over allegedly leaking a diplomatic cable and a 14-year term in a corruption case linked to the Al-Qadir Trust.
PTI leaders insist the cases are aimed at sidelining Imran Khan from politics and future elections.
Kasim said the prolonged silence from authorities appears to be part of a deliberate strategy to keep his father cut off from supporters and the public.
“This isolation is intentional,” he alleged. “They are scared of him. He is Pakistan’s most popular leader, and they know they cannot defeat him democratically.”
Kasim and his elder brother, Suleiman Isa Khan, live in London with their mother, Jemima Goldsmith, and have generally stayed away from Pakistan’s political arena. They rarely speak publicly, except regarding their father’s imprisonment.
The last time the brothers saw Imran Khan was in November 2022, shortly after he survived an assassination attempt.
“That image has stayed with me ever since,” Kasim said. “Seeing our father in that state is something you don’t forget. We were told he would recover with time. Now, after weeks of total silence and no proof of life, that memory carries a different weight.”
The family says they are now pursuing “all internal and external avenues”, including appeals to international human rights organisations. They are demanding the immediate restoration of court-ordered visitation rights.
“This is not just a political dispute,” Kasim said. “It is a human rights emergency. Pressure must come from every direction. We draw strength from him, but we need to know he is safe.”
