In an interview with journalist Piers Morgan, former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s sons Kasim and Sulaiman have said they are awaiting visas so they can travel to Pakistan and meet their father.
Claiming they have not seen their father, who marks the second anniversary of his incarceration on Aug. 5, in three years, they told Morgan they had concerns for his safety. “There’s so many ways for them to plot some kind of assassination—they have complete control,” they said of the security establishment.
To a question, they said they were willing to court arrest in Pakistan in their bid to secure the freedom of their father.
Alleging their father was being “tortured” in prison, they said they had not spoken to him in several months. “It seems like they are trying to break him,” they said, and reiterated their belief that the person who could make the most difference in securing their father’s release was U.S. President Donald Trump.
Responding to their interview, Minister of State for Law and Justice Aqeel Malik clarified that the government had not threatened to arrest them or deny them visas. “This is again a false narrative being planted to gain sympathies,” he claimed, adding the only reason for their arrest could be facilitating discord under the guise of a peaceful protest. He also noted that no country allows foreigners to indulge in political activities.
Earlier, Khan’s sister Aleema Khan claimed in a post on X that Pakistan’s ambassador to the United Kingdom had informed them he was awaiting approval from the Interior Ministry prior to granting Kasim and Sulaiman visas to Pakistan. Last month, she had announced the two brothers would travel to Pakistan to participate in the protest for their father’s release, adding they would travel to the United States first.
During their U.S. tour, Kasim and Sulaiman met several Congressmen though were unable to secure a meeting with either Trump or Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
In a posting on X, Minister of State Talal Chaudhry questioned the brothers’ need for a visa, noting Aleema had previously stated they possessed National Identity Cards for Overseas Pakistanis. “You previously stated that the children hold NICOPs. If that is true, they do not require visas to enter Pakistan,” he wrote in response to Aleema’s post. “If they do need visas, that means they are not ‘Pakistani Nationals.’ What is the real truth behind it all?” he questioned.
Last week, the PTI rejected media reports claiming Khan had barred his sons from traveling to Pakistan. In a statement, spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram said while the date of their arrival was pending, they would “undoubtedly” travel to Pakistan to meet their father.
Khan has been incarcerated since August 2023 over various charges ranging from corruption to terrorism over his alleged role in the May 9, 2023 riots.