Imran's sons worry about former PM's well-being, safety in custody

The sons of Pakistan's jailed former prime minister Imran Khan fear authorities are concealing “something irreversible” about his condition after more than three weeks with no evidence that he is still alive, one of them said.

- Tariq Butt | Reuters

Speaking to Reuters, Imran’s son Kasim Khan said the family has had no direct or verifiable contact with him, despite a court order mandating weekly prison visits. “Not knowing whether your father is safe, injured or even alive is a form of psychological torture,” he said in written remarks, adding that there had been no independently confirmed communication for a couple of months.

“Today we have no verifiable information at all about his condition,” the son added. “Our greatest fear is that something irreversible is being hidden from us.”

The family has repeatedly sought access for Imran Khan's personal physician, who has not been allowed to examine him for more than a year, he added.

Pakistan's interior ministry did not respond to a request for comment. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a jail official told Reuters that Imran Khan was in good health, adding that he was not aware of any plan for a move to a higher-security facility.

Imran Khan, 73, has been in jail since August 2023, convicted in a string of cases that he says were politically driven following his ouster in a 2022 parliamentary vote.