Information Minister says phone calls between Imran and his children would be arranged on Eid
A combination photo of Kasim Khan (L), Information Minister Attaullah Tarar (C) and Sulaiman Khan. Photos: File
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Wednesday that the sons of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan do not require visas to visit Pakistan to meet their father, who is currently in jail.
His statement came in response to an appeal by Imran’s ex-wife, Jemima Goldsmith, to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, urging the government to allow Kasim Khan and Sulaiman Khan to visit their father in prison.
“His children are welcome to visit Pakistan on their NICOP cards as Pakistani citizens for which visas are not required. However, they will fully abide by Pakistan’s laws during their stay,” he said in a post on X.
In addition, Tarar confirmed that a phone call between Imran and his children would be arranged on Eid, following the same procedure as in previous cases.
Imran Khan’s phone call will be arranged on Eid day with his children as earlier also done.
His children are welcome to visit Pakistan on their NICOP cards as Pakistani citizens for which no visa is required. But they will fully comply with the laws of Pakistan….
— Attaullah Tarar (@TararAttaullah) 18 March 2026
In her appeal, Jemima said: “My sons Sulaiman and Kasim applied for visas in January (again…) to allow them to visit their father Imran Khan in Pakistan. The Pakistani consulate says online visa processing usually takes 7-10 working days. 60 days have now passed.”
Jemima said this was despite a public promise that their sons could safely travel to Pakistan to see their father after four years, assurances given by Defense Minister Khawaja Asif to British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan and Prime Minister’s Spokesman Mosharraf Zaidi had conveyed to Sky News presenter Yalda Hakim.
“They are not allowed to talk to him on the phone or send him a letter. They have not seen him since 2022 after he was shot in an assassination attempt,” she said.
Read more: Jemima appeals directly to Prime Minister Shehbaz to allow sons to meet Imran Khan
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 proceedings under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) related to the May 9, 2023 protests.
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.
