Imran Khan’s son has said no one has heard from his father since August, when the former Pakistani prime minister claimed he was being tortured.
Sulaiman Khan, his son from his first marriage to British heiress Jemima Goldsmith, alleged that his father’s life was in danger and blamed Pakistan’s army chief General Asim Munir for his continued incarceration.
Mr Khan, 74, is serving a prison sentence at Rawalpindi’s notorious Adiala Jail following convictions on corruption and bribery charges. His family has repeatedly raised concerns about his treatment in prison and deteriorating health.
The former prime minister and Pakistan’s former national cricket captain, who faces charges in more than 100 cases, has been held in solitary confinement. He has denied all charges against him, describing them as politically motivated.
Sulaiman Khan said the family and his father’s lawyers had not heard from him in months.
He said his father had previously warned that he could suffer a similar fate to former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, who died during a court hearing in 2019.
“No one has seen or heard from my father since August, when he explicitly said that he was being tortured and that the regime was trying to kill him like Egypt’s government did Morsi,” Sulaiman Khan wrote.
He accused General Munir of continuing to ignore an August Supreme Court order directing that Mr Khan be assessed and treated at the private Shifa International Hospital and granted regular visits from his family and access to his lawyers.
“It is clear that they are trying to kill him as he is by far the most popular political figure in the country, and they fear him. If the worst happens, no one should make any mistake who is responsible,” he added.
The government of Pakistan has denied allegations of mistreatment and solitary confinement.
Mr Khan isn’t being held under a government order but as a “convicted prisoner” serving sentences imposed by courts following judicial proceedings, the Ministry of Information told the Associated Press in a written response in August.
The allegations come as Sulaiman Khan and his brother Kasim Khan have reportedly been advised against travelling to Pakistan to campaign for their father’s release following the arrests of other family members.
Mr Khan’s three sisters, Aleema Khan, Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi, were detained in September 2026 under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance ahead of planned protests.
Their detention was extended for another 30 days on Monday, according to officials from Pakistan’s Punjab government.
Mr Khan remains hugely popular in Pakistan despite his imprisonment. A rally demanding his release earlier this month drew thousands of supporters.
Protesters organised a long march towards Islamabad, demanding his release, improved access to him in prison and medical treatment by doctors of his choice.
On 11 October, president Asif Ali Zardari declared a state of emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and suspended the provincial government led by Mr Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
The government cited Islamist militancy in the province bordering Afghanistan as the reason for the emergency. However, the PTI described the move as “more of a coup disguised as an emergency”, accusing the authorities of attempting to weaken the movement demanding Mr Khan’s release. (The Independent)