Jemima accuses the government of refusing the sons’ visas to deny British protection in the event of arrest

Jemima Goldsmith, former wife of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, claimed on Thursday that the government denied visas to their sons, Kasim Khan and Sulaiman Khan, in an attempt to deprive them of British protection in case of possible arrest on arrival in Pakistan.

Her statement came a day after Information Minister Ataullah Tarar welcomed his sons to visit Pakistan using their National Identity Cards for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP), which he said would allow them to travel without visas.

In response to Tarar, Jemima wrote on X: “We all know the reason you refuse their visas and recommend they travel on NICOP cards (which they don’t currently have) is because that way they will have no UK protection if you choose to arrest them on arrival.”

Jemima had appealed directly to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday, urging the government to allow Kasim and Sulaiman to visit their father in prison.

“My sons Sulaiman and Kasim applied for visas in January (again…) to allow them to visit their father Imran Khan in Pakistan. Pakistan’s consulate says online visa processing usually takes 7-10 working days. 60 days have now passed,” she had said.

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 charges under the Anti-Terrorism Act in connection with the May 9, 2023 protests.

Read more: Imran’s sons do not need visas to visit Pakistan

Kasim and Sulaiman have not seen their father since November 2022, after he survived an assassination attempt. They said they applied for a visa in January but have yet to receive a response.

Kasim had last month accused the government of deliberately refusing to process his and his brother’s visas to prevent the siblings from meeting their father. He said it was cruel to deny a prisoner treatment and to deny his children the right to see him was a collective punishment.

Last year, Imran’s sister Aleema Khan had told reporters that the brothers 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.