Imran Khan’s sons free to visit Pakistan whenever they want, says Khawaja Asif

WEB DESK: Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has said that the sons of former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan can visit Pakistan at any time, as both hold valid National Identity Cards for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOPs), which allow them to enter the country without obtaining a visa.

In a statement on X, Asif said the former prime minister’s sons, Suleman Khan and Qasim Khan, had last travelled to Pakistan in 2022 using their NICOPs.

“Just as both sons of Imran Khan came to Pakistan in 2022, they can come today as well. Both have their NICOPs, which are valid.” Their coming to Pakistan is entirely their choice, the defense minister said.

He added that there was no truth to claims by PTI leaders and members of Imran Khan’s family that the government was not facilitating the required travel process for his sons.

Asif said it was incorrect to suggest that the government was withholding visas from them, as their valid NICOPs meant they did not require a visa to travel to Pakistan.

بانی pti کے بچوں نے ان NICOP پہ آخری دفعہ 2022 میں پاکستان سفر کیا تھا۔ اور آج اگر چاہئیں تو پاکستان تشریف لا سکتے ھیں۔ دونوں NICOP valid ھیں ۔ فیملی یا pti کا یہ تاثر دینا کہ حکومت انکو ویزا نہیں دے رہی غلط ھے۔ NICOP کی موجودگی جب چاہیں پاکستان سفر کر سکتے ھیں۔ ویزا کی کوئی…

— Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) August 30, 2026

According to the details shared in the statement, Suleman Khan’s NICOP is valid until January 6, 2030, while Qasim Khan’s NICOP is valid until November 8, 2032.

Earlier, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had also rejected allegations that Imran Khan had been denied communication with his family.

In a detailed statement on X, the ministry said certain foreign media outlets had circulated what it described as misleading reports about the former premier, calling them part of a deliberate propaganda campaign being pursued under a “foreign agenda”.

The ministry said prison records documented telephone, landline and WhatsApp communications between the incarcerated PTI founder and his family members in Pakistan and abroad.

According to the government, the records include a telephone conversation between the 73-year old jailed former premier and one of his sons on March 21, 2026.

The statement issued on Saturday also said meetings between Imran Khan and his sisters were recorded on August 18, 19 and 25.

It maybe noted that the 73-year PTI founder has been languishing behind bars at Aadiala jail since August 5, 2026 after convictions by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in multiple cases, which both party members and family members say are all politically motivated.