- WEB DESK
- August 25, 2026
Imran Khan’s sons, legal team ‘vow’ renewed global push for his release
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- WEB DESK
- August 25, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Qasim and Sulaiman Isa Khan, the sons of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, have vowed to intensify international efforts for their father’s release, saying they will approach governments, lawmakers and human rights organisations in Western capitals over his detention and alleged denial of adequate medical treatment.
Speaking at an online press briefing on Tuesday alongside Khan’s international affairs adviser Zulfi Bukhari and international counsel Jared Genser, the two sons expressed serious concern over their father’s health and called for an independent medical examination to establish his current condition.
“Whatever we can do, we will do to bring our father out of jail,” Qasim said, adding that the family would continue its efforts to secure Khan’s release.
Sulaiman said that he had never seen his father anxious or distressed and described him as a person with “strong nerves”. He said that the family became concerned after learning that Khan was experiencing blood pressure and anxiety-related problems.
“Our last meeting with our father was on November 22, 2022, after he was shot,” Sulaiman said, adding that their last telephone conversation with Khan took place in March 2026.
Qasim challenged the government’s claim that Khan was in good health and called for an independent medical examination to verify it.
“I am sure the Pakistani government will say that Imran Khan is perfectly fit. I challenge them: if that is the case, let him undergo an independent check-up so it can be verified,” he said.
Sulaiman said that the family wanted evidence of his father’s wellbeing.
“Just give us proof that our father is absolutely fine,” he said.
Sons seek international support
Qasim said that the family had already engaged PTI supporters, lawmakers and other people in the United States as part of efforts to build international support for Khan’s release.
“We spoke to PTI supporters in the US,” he said, adding that the family had also tried to establish contact with US President Donald Trump.
“Our effort was to speak to Trump, but Trump’s interests are different at the moment,” Qasim said, adding that the current Pakistani rulers were offering him everything from rare earth minerals to a nomination for the Nobel Prize just to cling to power.
He said that the family had also sought engagement with the British government over their desire to visit Pakistan but had not received the support they were seeking.
Qasim said the brothers had repeatedly wanted to travel to Pakistan but were discouraged from doing so amid warnings that they could be arrested and concerns about their security.
He said that the family would continue to press the international community over Khan’s detention and medical condition, arguing that he urgently needed access to proper medical facilities and specialist doctors.
Sulaiman accused the authorities of mistreating political opponents and said Pakistan was “sliding towards dictatorship”. He also claimed that Khan was being kept in solitary confinement.
The Pakistani government has repeatedly rejected allegations of mistreatment and medical neglect, maintaining that Khan is being treated as a convicted prisoner and has access to doctors, family members and legal counsel.
Officials have also said he has undergone medical examinations and that his medical reports do not support the allegations made by his family and party.
Medical dispute triggers fresh legal battle
The briefing came amid a renewed legal and political dispute over Khan’s medical treatment.
On August 18, the Supreme Court ordered that Khan be shifted from Adiala Jail to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad for medical treatment and a comprehensive examination by a multidisciplinary medical panel.
Instead, Khan was taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) on August 20 and subsequently returned to Adiala Jail after doctors declared him medically fit.
Khan’s family and PTI have accused the authorities of failing to comply with the Supreme Court’s order, while the government has maintained that he received appropriate medical attention.
PTI has filed a contempt petition before the Supreme Court over the alleged non-compliance, while the government has also challenged the order directing Khan’s treatment at Shifa.
Officials have said security considerations were among the reasons for taking Khan to PIMS rather than Shifa. PIMS also said two specialists from Shifa participated in his eye examination, although the hospital did not disclose his confidential medical report.
Genser calls for expanded international campaign
Genser described Khan’s detention as a human rights issue and said the legal and political campaign for his release would be expanded with the involvement of governments and international human rights organisations.
He alleged that Khan was being subjected to severe restrictions, including inadequate medical care, limited family and legal access and harsh detention conditions.
Genser also claimed that Khan had been denied access to his personal doctor and was experiencing health problems including blurred vision and nausea.
He called on the Supreme Court to assert its authority and suspend Khan’s sentences until his appeals are decided.
The government has rejected allegations that Khan is being held in solitary confinement or denied necessary healthcare.
PTI to renew lobbying in Western capitals
Bukhari said PTI would continue its international mobilisation campaign, building on lobbying efforts already undertaken in the United States, Britain and other Western capitals.
He said PTI representatives had travelled to Geneva and the United States to seek international support and would undertake further visits to Western capitals.
“We are again reaching out and lobbying in Western capitals,” Bukhari said, while acknowledging that international support had not been as strong as the party had hoped because of wider global circumstances.
He said PTI would again approach the US and UK governments and human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, to seek pressure on Pakistan over Khan’s detention and treatment.
PTI’s international lobbying has previously included efforts to engage US lawmakers over Khan’s imprisonment and Pakistan’s political situation. In 2024, dozens of US lawmakers called for Khan’s release, while the US House of Representatives passed a bipartisan resolution expressing support for democracy and human rights in Pakistan and calling for an investigation into alleged irregularities surrounding the February 2024 election.
A UN working group also said in 2024 that Khan’s detention was arbitrary and violated international law, calling for his release. Pakistan rejected the assessment.
Bukhari signals reconciliation if Khan is freed
Bukhari also sought to project a conciliatory message about Khan’s possible return to politics, saying the PTI founder would not seek revenge against those who had put him behind bars.
In a recent Reuters interview, Bukhari said Khan would not confront Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir if released and suggested that the former prime minister was prepared for reconciliation.
He said Khan was not vindictive and wanted to strengthen state institutions rather than target individuals.
Bukhari also confirmed that PTI would continue its domestic political mobilisation, including a planned nationwide protest march on September 27, seeking Khan’s release, proper legal proceedings and greater access to him.
Khan’s legal battles
Khan has remained in Adiala Jail since August 2023 and faces more than 100 cases dating from before and after his removal from office in April 2022.
The principal conviction currently keeping him imprisoned is the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust corruption case, in which an accountability court sentenced him to 14 years in January 2025. Khan denies wrongdoing and has appealed the conviction.
Several other convictions have either been overturned or had their sentences suspended. Khan’s 10-year sentence in the cipher case was overturned on appeal, while sentences in the Toshakhana cases have been suspended pending further proceedings. Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were also acquitted in the unlawful marriage case.
Khan continues to face cases relating to the May 9, 2023 violence.
Khan and PTI have consistently described the cases as politically motivated and part of a broader campaign to keep him out of politics, while the authorities and courts have rejected the characterisation and maintained that the cases are being dealt with through the legal system.
For Khan’s sons and international team, the latest dispute over his medical treatment has provided a fresh impetus to their campaign abroad, with plans to again lobby governments, lawmakers and human rights organisations while PTI continues its domestic efforts for his release.
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