Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s sons, Kasim Khan and Suleiman Khan, have revealed applying for Pakistani visas, saying that they are planning to visit the country in January.
While the duo, during an interview with journalist Yalda Hakim of Sky News, also alleged that their father was being held in a “death cell” at Adiala Jail, clips from the conversation are doing the rounds on social media not just for what they had to say, but also their “prince-like” appearances and resemblance to their incarcerated father.
The interview came amid continued restrictions on court-ordered prison visits for Khan and a sit-in by his sisters outside the jail. The demonstration ended late Tuesday night after what the PTI said was the use of “chemical-laced” water on protesters.
During the interview, Hakim asked whether the brothers, who live in London, had engaged with the Pakistani government to seek permission to visit their father. She noted that they had previously spoken about being “warned not to come”, despite Defence Minister Khawaja Asif publicly stating that they were welcome.
“We are now planning to because they said it openly. So, unless they go against their word we should be hopefully going in January. We have applied for our visas. It hasn’t come through yet. We are expecting it to come through, so we are planning a trip in January,” Kasim responded.
Addressing speculation about a deal for Khan’s release, Kasim said his father would not accept leaving Pakistan. “What you have to understand is it’s his life. It’s literally his passion and his goal,” he said, adding that Khan viewed his political struggle as a “life purpose”.
“And so, if he just took a deal and came over to us and lived in England, he would be depressed,” he added.
When asked what message he would want to send to his father, Kasim said, “I want to know how we can get him out, how we can help because the main point is we feel so helpless at this point.”
Kasim also said Khan avoids speaking about his conditions during their interactions. “He’s like, ‘Don’t worry about me. How’s everything?’” he said, adding that Khan also asked about their grandmother, Lady Annabel Goldsmith.
“We haven’t spoken to him since she died, I would love to speak to him about that.”
On Khan’s conditions in jail, Kasim said, “The conditions are awful.”
Suleiman said they had been told Imran Khan was being kept in a “death cell”.
“There are barely any lights, sometimes the electricity is cut off, there’s dirty water, completely substandard conditions that don’t meet international laws for any sort of prisoner,” he added.
The brothers also addressed social media rumours about Khan’s possible death. Suleiman said the reports were “incredibly stressful” and that he turned to family contacts in Pakistan. Kasim said the rumours were “jarring” and highlighted their inability to intervene from abroad.
Responding to a question about their message to the international community, Suleiman said, “At minimum, just to make sure that the standards of international human rights are being upheld.”
Kasim stressed the need to enforce court orders, respect the rule of law and allow access to Imran Khan’s personal physician.
While Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif’s spokesperson for foreign media, Mosharraf Zaidi, later appeared on the show and rejected most claims – especially that Khan was being kept in isolation or his interaction with his sons had been restricted – the interview of the former premier’s sons is going viral on social media as users praise “how good they look”.
“Like father, like sons,” wrote one user, adding that Kasim, especially, looked like a younger Imran Khan. Some even called them “princes” and expressed heartfelt wishes, praying that they are soon reunited with their father.