Kasim accuses the government of “deliberately refusing” to process visas, preventing the meeting with Imran

Kasim Khan, son of jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, on Wednesday again accused the government of deliberately refusing to process his and his brother’s visas to prevent the siblings from meeting their father.

Imran has been imprisoned since August 2023 and is currently serving a sentence in Adiala prison in a £190m corruption case. In addition, he faces pending legal proceedings under the Anti-Terrorism Act related to the protests on 9 May 2023. The party has in recent days expressed concern over Imran’s health and demanded treatment by his own team of doctors.

Last year, Imran’s sister Aleema Khan had told reporters that Sulaiman Khan and Kasim would participate in a protest movement planned for August 5, 2025. Later, it was reported that Imran had stated that his sons would not come to Pakistan to participate in the protest. The brothers had later held meetings with key figures in the United States.

Read more: The son expresses fear for Imran’s safety

However, the question has also provoked reactions from the government. The prime minister’s political affairs adviser Rana Sanaullah warned that Imran’s sons, who live in Britain with their mother Jemima Goldsmith, would be arrested if they took part in the protest.

In a post on X today, Kasim said: “My brother and I are trying to travel to Pakistan to see our father. For 914 days he has been held in solitary confinement as his health deteriorates and he is denied access to independent medical care. Now the government is deliberately refusing to process our visas.”

He said it was cruel to deny a prisoner treatment and to deny his children the right to see him was a collective punishment.

“I call on international human rights organizations and governments to speak up and act before irreparable damage is done.”

Two days earlier, citing a report, PTI claimed that the government had decided to withhold visa approvals for Imran’s sons to prevent entry to him. It claimed, according to a Home Ministry source, “they will not get visas. The decision has been made. The government only wants to delay the decision as long as possible without actually announcing the decision.”

The report claimed the government planned to deny visas on technical grounds – such as failure to disclose recent travel to the United Arab Emirates – rather than issuing an outright refusal.

Sulaiman and Kasim have previously called for international attention to what they describe as their father’s “inhumane” imprisonment, and in particular have called on US President Donald Trump to use his influence to support his release.

Read also: Imran held in ‘bad conditions’

The brothers have previously said they were forced to speak out because of the desperate circumstances surrounding their father’s detention.