In a rare move that lifted the veil of their family’s silence, former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s sons have publicly spoken of their father’s long -standing imprisonment and called for international pressure on Pakistan to secure his release.
This marked the first time the two sons, Suleman Khan and Qasim Khan, publicly treated their father’s prison. Although a court allowed them in November 2023 to contact him weekly, they claimed that these calls have been sporadic and difficult to secure.
In an interview with X influencer Mario Nawfal, the brothers shed light on why they had broken their silence.
“We’ve gone through the legal routes. We’ve gone through each route that we thought would potentially get him out. We never thought he would be in there a fraction of how long he’s been in there. And it’s getting worse. And then we have some running out of these opportunities. And now we’ve decided that the only route to take steps is to come and talk publicly,” Qasim said.
He added: “What we want is international pressure on Pakistan right now because he is currently living in inhumane conditions. They do not give him basic human rights … they do not really do anywhere nearby. And what we want is global pressure.”
Suleman said about the blind -keyed through legal channels said: “We have exhausted other options [and] Legal opportunities and it has gone very quietly. It seems that in the international media it seems to have gone very quietly. “
When asked about US official Richard Grenell’s calls for Imran’s release, Suleman said they had had no direct contact with him but appreciated “all the support he has shown”.
In response to whether they had a message to the Trump camp, Suleman said, “We will call for any government that supports freedom of speech and proper democracy to participate in the call for our father’s release.”
Qasim repeated the mood, “Look at what’s going on, and hopefully take action, and who better than Trump to get attention to. We would very much like to talk to Trump or try to find out a way where he would be able to help somehow. Because at the end of the day, all we try to do is free our father, bring democracy in Pakistan and just secure his basic human rights.”
