By Nazim Malik
The sons of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan have expressed grave concern over their father’s treatment in prison, alleging that restrictions on his access to family, doctors and medical care amounted to violations of his fundamental rights.
Speaking at a press conference alongside PTI leader Sayed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari and international human rights lawyer Jared Genser, Imran Khan’s sons, Kasim and Sulaiman Khan, said they had been unable to visit their father for years and had not spoken to him for the past six months.
“Me and Sulaiman, we will try and get him out and rectify what has happened there so we can have our father again and Pakistan have their elected leader in charge.” –@Kasim_Khan_1999 #TorturingImranKhanIsACrime#FreeImranKhan pic.twitter.com/6VNKpoEhpq
— PTI (@PTIofficial) August 26, 2026
Sulaiman Khan said the prolonged separation from their father was deeply distressing for the family, arguing that the conditions under which Mr Khan was being held raised serious human rights concerns.
“My brother and I have not been able to visit our father for years. For the past six months, we haven’t even spoken to him. What my father is going through is a violation of his human rights,” Sulaiman said.
His remarks came amid renewed controversy over the medical treatment and access being provided to the former prime minister, who has remained incarcerated while facing multiple cases.
Kasim Khan said his father, despite being 73, remained exceptionally resilient but that his physical health was now bearing the consequences of his prolonged incarceration and treatment.
“My father is the toughest person I know. But he is 73 years old, and his body is paying the price for how he is being treated,” Kasim said.
He also vowed, together with his brother, to work to secure their father’s release and restore what they described as his political role in Pakistan.
“Me and Sulaiman, we will try and get him out and rectify what has happened there so we can have our father again and Pakistan have their elected leader in charge,” he said.
The brothers’ intervention came against the backdrop of a dispute over the government’s handling of a Supreme Court direction concerning Mr Khan’s medical treatment.
PTI leader Sayed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari alleged that the government had circumvented the court’s order and refused to transfer Mr Khan to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad.
“They played tricks with the court and deceived Imran Khan’s personal physician, whom the Supreme Court had ordered to be included in the medical board,” Mr Bukhari said.
He further alleged that Mr Khan’s personal physicians had been denied access to him since November 2024, raising questions over the extent to which doctors trusted by the former premier had been allowed to assess his condition.
The issue has added another layer to the already contentious dispute between the PTI and the government over Mr Khan’s incarceration, medical treatment and access to his family and legal team.
The former prime minister’s sons, who live outside Pakistan, have repeatedly raised concerns about their inability to communicate with their father. Their latest public appearance appeared aimed at drawing international attention to his situation, with human rights lawyer Jared Genser also participating in the press conference.
The allegations made by the brothers and Mr Bukhari could not independently establish whether any court order had been deliberately circumvented or whether restrictions on medical access amounted to a violation of Mr Khan’s rights. The government has previously maintained that matters relating to prisoners’ security, medical treatment and access are governed by applicable rules and procedures.
For the Khan family, however, the issue has become increasingly personal as well as political.
Kasim and Sulaiman said their immediate objective was to see their father again, while also seeking what they described as justice for a man they believe continues to command a political mandate in Pakistan.
Their intervention is likely to intensify pressure on the government over the treatment of the former prime minister, particularly at a time when the question of his health, medical access and continued detention remains a major point of contention between the authorities and the PTI.
