ISLAMABAD (Web-Desk); Kasim Khan, son of incarcerated PTI founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan, has voiced serious concerns over his father’s prison conditions, calling them “really poor” and worsening by the day. Speaking in a recent interview with US media outlet Real America’s Voice, Kasim described the situation as dire and inhumane.
“Right now he’s in really, really poor conditions and it looks like they’re getting worse and worse by the moment,” said Kasim, who, along with his brother Sulaiman Khan, publicly addressed their father’s imprisonment for the first time earlier this year.
Imran Khan, jailed since August 2023 in a £190 million corruption case and facing multiple charges under the Anti-Terrorism Act related to the May 9 riots, is being held at Adiala Jail. Kasim alleged that his father is confined in solitary, deprived of basic necessities. “He’s showering in muddy water. I don’t mean unfiltered water. It’s muddy, dirty water,” he said, further alleging that unsanitary conditions in the facility had led to the deaths of 10 inmates.
Kasim also claimed that Imran was sometimes kept without light for up to 10 days, describing it as a “torture tactic,” and added that the family had no direct contact with him. “He gets only two hours a day in daylight. We’re not able to speak to him at all,” he lamented.
Kasim and Sulaiman, who earlier visited the US to meet lawmakers and rally support for their father’s release, are expected to arrive in Pakistan soon. Their aunt, Aleema Khan, confirmed the visit and said the brothers held valid National Identity Cards for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP), making them Pakistani citizens. “If anything were to happen to Imran’s sons, it would become an international issue,” she told the media.
While the brothers are currently seeking diplomatic backing in the US, including a meeting with former US President Donald Trump’s aide Richard Grenell, Kasim said, “Grenell was very kind to spend some time with us. I’m very, very hopeful from that.”
He also maintained that Imran Khan won the February 2024 general elections from behind bars despite what he termed “vicious rigging” and “underhand tactics.”
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif downplayed concerns, stating, “Why would the government stop Imran’s sons from coming to Pakistan?” He emphasized that authorities had no intention of allowing PTI to resort to violence again, referencing the May 9 and November 26 incidents.
The PTI also strongly denied media reports suggesting that Imran had barred his sons from returning to Pakistan or leading any protests. Party spokesperson Waqas Akram clarified, “The reports are completely false. Imran Khan sahib has not stopped his children from coming to Pakistan.”
He urged journalists covering Adiala Jail to report Imran’s statements accurately and in full, without distortion or selective quoting.
