Jemima urges UK govt to speak out over Imran Khan’s detention

LONDON: Jemima Goldsmith, ex-wife of former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan, has urged British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband to publicly intervene over what she described as a “human-rights emergency” surrounding Khan’s detention in Pakistan.

In a post on X on Monday, Jemima asked the British government how much longer it would remain silent over the former premier’s treatment, alleging that he had been subjected to prolonged solitary confinement and denied regular contact with his family.

“For three years the father of my two sons, and Pakistan’s former Prime Minister, Imran Khan, has been brutally penalised by his political opponents,” she said.

Goldsmith further alleged that Khan’s detention conditions amounted to torture and were taking a potentially serious toll on his physical and mental health.

She claimed Khan had spent three years in solitary confinement and had been denied family contact for nearly 10 months, as well as access to books, lawyers and doctors.

Citing the United Nations’ Nelson Mandela Rules, she said solitary confinement exceeding 15 consecutive days was prohibited and amounted to torture.

She also referred to recent orders by the Supreme Court concerning Khan’s medical treatment and family access, alleging that the directives were being disregarded.

According to Jemima, the Supreme Court had ordered comprehensive medical treatment, access to Khan’s personal doctor, regular family visits and twice-weekly telephone calls with his sons.

The former premier was briefly taken to the PIMS hospital last week for a medical examination before being returned to Adiala jail, prompting objections from his family and lawyers over the implementation of the court’s directions which had ordered to shift him to Islamabad’s Shifa International Hospital.

Jemima said that the issue could no longer be viewed merely as a Pakistani political matter, describing it as a “human-rights emergency”.

She highlighted Khan’s longstanding links with Britain, noting that he studied at Oxford University, captained Oxford University cricket and played county cricket in England.

She also referred to his charitable work in Pakistan, including the establishment of a cancer hospital and a university.

Jemima said that her sons with Khan, Sulaiman and Kasim, were British citizens and had been unable to visit their father.

She alleged that they had been denied visas, threatened with arrest by Pakistani government officials and prevented from having regular telephone contact with Khan despite the reported court order.

“I have repeatedly appealed to the UK government to intervene,” she said, adding that previous attempts at back-channel diplomacy had “evidently failed”.

She also referred to correspondence from former British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, saying she had been informed that Britain would not intervene if her sons were arrested while travelling to Pakistan to visit their father.

She called on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to publicly demand that Pakistan comply with the Supreme Court’s orders.

Jemima urged the British government to seek restoration of Khan’s medical access and family contact, an end to his prolonged isolation and respect for his fundamental rights.

“Pakistan is a Commonwealth country,” she said, arguing that Britain had a long tradition of opposing arbitrary detention, inhumane treatment and denial of fundamental rights.

Imran Khan has remained in custody since August 2023 and faces convictions, while he and his party maintain that the cases are politically motivated

Jemima concluded her message by appealing to Burnham’s newly formed government to “do the right thing” and speak publicly on Khan’s treatment.

Burnham became British prime minister in July, while Miliband was appointed foreign secretary in his government.