Days after former Pakistani PM Imran Khan’s sons spoke about his incarceration and demanded his release, Jemima Goldsmith, Khan’s ex-wife slammed the government for threatening them with arrest if they attempt to visit the country. In a strongly worded post on X, Goldsmith said her sons, Sulaiman and Qasim Khan, have not been allowed to speak to Imran, who has been held in solitary confinement in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail for nearly two years. “Pakistan’s govt has now said if they go there to try to see him, they too will be arrested and put behind bars. This isn’t politics. It’s a personal vendetta,” she wrote.
Her reaction came after adviser to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Rana Sanaullah, said in atelevision interview that his sons would be arrested if they try to join the nationwide protest by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI). “Why won’t they be arrested? If they come to lead a violent movement, the consequences will follow,” he said. Law minister Aqeel Malik also warned that entry could be denied if their intent is to “spread discord.”
How did demands for Imran Khan’s release begin again?
It all started when reports claimed that Imran Khan directed PTI to begin its anti-government movement after Moharram. His sister Aleema Khan said that the former PM will lead the protest from jail and wants his party’s movement against the government to “hit its peak” on August 5 — the day he completes two years in prison. “Our family knows about the protest plan,” she added. However, she did not reveal the details regarding the upcoming demonstration. She announced that Imran Khan’s entire family would be part of the upcoming protest.
Imran Khan’s sons break silence
Imran Khan’s sons Qasim and Sulaiman Khan made an appeal to US President Donald Trump and “people of influence” around to world to step in and support their father’s release. Khan’s sons, who have stayed away from politics, urged the international community to step up efforts and put pressure on the Pakistani administration to release his father. In a television interview, they said that “they couldn’t stay quiet any longer.” “They are not giving him [Imran Khan] basic human rights. It is basically for human rights of not only our father but also other political prisoners and the restoration of proper democracy in Pakistan,” Qasim said.
When asked about speculation that Khan might strike a deal with the government to secure his release, Qasim dismissed the idea outright. “I just don’t see him taking a deal like that to save his skin. He’s a very principled person … I don’t think he’ll just take a deal while other people are sitting in cells on his behalf, his supporters,” he said. Both brothers admitted they deeply miss their father, but what hurts more, they said, is “seeing a nation lose the man who gave everything for it”. “He always told us: if you stand for truth, you’ll pay a price. We’re seeing that now,” Qasim said.
Cases against Imran khan
Imran Khan is currently imprisoned due to his conviction in the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case, where he and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were sentenced to 14 years in jail in 2024. The case alleges that Khan facilitated the illegal transfer of £190 million (received from the UK’s National Crime Agency) in exchange for land given to a trust linked to him and Bushra Bibi. In addition, Khan was previously convicted in the Toshakhana case—for selling state gifts without proper disclosure—and sentenced to 3 years, which led to his disqualification from politics. Though this conviction was later suspended, it set the stage for further legal action. He was also sentenced to 10 years in the Cipher case, but that conviction was quashed by the Islamabad High Court in June 2024. Beyond convictions, Khan is facing over 180 legal cases, including terrorism charges related to the 2023 protests.