In a rare move that lifted the veil on their family’s silence, former prime minister Imran Khan’s sons have publicly spoken about their father’s prolonged incarceration, calling for international pressure on Pakistan to secure his release.
This marked the first time the two sons, Suleman Khan and Qasim Khan, publicly addressed their father’s imprisonment. Although a court allowed them in November 2023 to contact him weekly, they claimed these calls have been sporadic and difficult to secure.
In an interview with X influencer Mario Nawfal, the brothers shed light on why they had broken their silence.
“We’ve gone through the legal routes. We’ve gone through every route that we thought would potentially get him out. We never thought he would be in there a fraction of how long he’s been in there. And it’s only getting worse. And, so, we’ve somewhat run out of those options. And now we’ve decided the only route of taking action is to come and speak publicly,” Qasim said.
He added: “What we want is international pressure on Pakistan right now, because currently he’s living in inhumane conditions. They’re not giving him basic human rights They’re not really doing anywhere near enough. And what we want is global pressure.”
Speaking about the dead end through legal channels, Suleman said: “We’ve exhausted other options [and] legal avenues and it’s gone very quiet. It seems, in the international media, it seems to have gone very quiet.”
When asked about US official Richard Grenell’s calls for Imran’s release, Suleman said they had not made any direct contact with him but appreciated “all the support he’s shown”.
Responding to whether they had a message for the Trump camp, Suleman said: “We’d call for any government that supports free speech and proper democracy to join the call for our father’s release.”
Qasim echoed the sentiment: “Look at what’s going on and hopefully take action and who better than Trump to gain the attention of. We’d love to speak to Trump or try and figure out a way where he would be able to help out in some way. Because, at the end of the day, all we’re trying to do is free our father, bring democracy in Pakistan and just ensure his basic human rights.”
