Imran Khan’s sons accuse Pakistani army chief of vendetta against imprisoned father

The sons of Imran Khan have accused Pakistan’s powerful army chief of a “personal vendetta” against the incarcerated former prime minister and expressed fears their father is being “slowly killed” in jail, as international pressure mounts over his prison conditions.

Kasim Khan, 27, and Sulaiman Khan, 29, have become strong advocates for the release of their father, who has been held in Adiala prison in Rawalpindi since his arrest in 2023, and is serving a 14-year sentence on corruption charges.

They have not been allowed to speak to Khan for more than six months and have been prevented from travelling from the UK to Pakistan to lobby for his release.

On Wednesday, the supreme court will rule on a case alleging the Pakistan government has been in contempt of court by denying Khan private hospital treatment for a worsening eye condition and preventing family from visiting him or speaking with him in jail for more than six months, in violation of a court order. Khan is being held in solitary confinement, in a cell alleged to be 6ft by 8ft.

Later this month, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) – the political party Khan founded in 1996, four years after retiring from international cricket – is planning a nationwide march demanding his release.

Speaking to the Guardian from London, Khan’s sons – from his first marriage to Jemima Goldsmith – said they were “deeply, deeply concerned” about their father’s health, and that the conditions he was being kept in amounted to “a form of mental and physical torture”.

“The reality is that he is locked in a tiny 6x8ft cell without human contact,” said Sulaiman. “He hasn’t been allowed new books for months and he’s not been allowed to see or speak to his family or a neutral doctor. He has an eye condition which was neglected for months and has meant he’s probably almost lost sight in one eye.”

Late last month, Sky Sports aired an interview with Khasim and Sulaiman during its coverage of a test match between England and Pakistan. The Pakistan Cricket Board, which has close links to the government and whose chair is also the interior minister, made a formal complaint to Sky Sports after the broadcast and the Pakistani team threatened to refuse to return to the field after the lunch break.

“It shows how out of touch they are with the rest of the world, that they thought they could silence media like they do at home,” Sulaiman said of the complaint. “It just exposed them for the authoritarian regime that they are.”

The UN has said Khan’s prolonged detention violates international law and the UN’s special rapporteur on torture said his solitary confinement and detention conditions could amount to psychological torture.

Sulaiman said the family had been told their father, 73, had also been diagnosed with high blood pressure. “More than anything, we just want to speak to him and make sure he’s OK,” he said.

Khan’s sons said they were particularly concerned that the “cruel” treatment was being driven by a “personal grudge” by Asim Munir, Pakistan’s chief of defence forces and army chief.

When Khan was the prime minister, he unceremoniously demoted Munir, and the bad blood between them was well known. When Munir was made army chief in 2022, the persecution of Khan increased notably.

“It’s very clear this is being driven by personal grudge and that’s one of the reasons he’s being treated so harshly, on the orders of Asim Munir,” said Sulaiman. Munir’s powers expanded over the past year as he established himself as a close ally of Donald Trump, who referred to him as “my favourite field marshal”.

Last month, the supreme court ruled that Khan should be taken to a private hospital for treatment for a blood clot in his retinal vein, believed to have destroyed 85% of the sight in his right eye because of a prolonged lack of medical attention.

Khan was instead taken briefly to a government hospital, where he was given several injections and ruled fit to return to prison, prompting outrage from his family and political party.

“There’s still been no light shed on our father’s real condition from an unbiased, neutral physician,” said Kasim. “We believe they’re trying to slowly kill him in there. Just as soon as there’s less pressure, we are sure they will put even harsher restrictions on him and try to finish him off.

“The one with the real vendetta here is the army chief Asim Munir.”

In a statement, the Pakistan government called the allegations around Khan “fake propaganda” and said he was being kept in adequate conditions, with access to home-cooked food, nuts, bottled water, exercise equipment, family visits and regular medical examinations.

“The government of Pakistan categorically rejects allegations that the convicted prisoner is being subjected to punitive solitary confinement, cruelty or deprivation,” the statement said.

It was widely acknowledged that Khan came to power in 2018 with the backing of Pakistan’s military, widely referred to as the “establishment”, which has long held an oversized role in the country’s governance. Khan had promised to build a “naya Pakistan” (new Pakistan), which would end corruption and follow the rule of law. However, his time in power was plagued by allegations of corruption, press censorship and persecution of his opponents.

He was toppled in 2022 after falling out with his military benefactors. He then began a campaign calling for the generals to be kept out of government.

By 2023, as his accusations against the military grew, Khan turned from alleged persecutor to the persecuted. He was arrested and charged with more than 100 crimes, including alleged corruption and sedition, which he claims are trumped up to keep him out of power.

Despite his toppling and imprisonment, Khan still remains popular. “They want to do everything they can to sideline him and disappear him from public life,” Kasim said.

Sulaiman said that while it was “clear the establishment think they can get away with it without any kind of repercussions”, it was also evident the government had been rattled by international coverage of Khan’s case.

Khan’s sons said that while they were keen to travel to Pakistan, their visas had still not been granted more than nine months after applying.

They emphasised they had no interest in entering politics in Pakistan or leading Khan’s PTI party in his absence.

“We definitely don’t want to get involved in politics in Pakistan in the long term,” said Sulaiman. “Our father always said that one of the biggest problems with Pakistani politics is this dynastic nepotism; that power’s been held by just two families for the last 40 years. It’s a sign of what’s wrong with the political system in Pakistan.”

Speculation has abounded on whether Khan would strike a deal with the military to secure his release. Khan’s closest aide, Zulfi Bukhari, said: “There is only one deal Khan would ever accept: the restoration of democracy, the rule of law and the people’s mandate in Pakistan. If they’re genuinely willing to do that, then fine – let’s talk.”

Kasim and Sulaiman said they did not believe Khan would give up his politics to secure his release. “He’s a very single-minded person,” said Kasim. “I don’t think there’s a chance that he’d ever give it up.”