Islamabad [Pakistan], July 11 : Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's ex-wife, Jemima Goldsmith, has accused the government of denying their sons the right to speak to their father, who has been in prison for almost two years, and threatening them with arrest if they try to meet him. She stated that these types of actions do not "happen in a democracy or a functioning state" and termed it a "personal vendetta."
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has remained in prison since August 2023 after facing multiple charges, including corruption and terrorism.
In a statement shared on X, Goldsmith stated, "My children are not allowed to speak on the phone to their father @ImranKhanPTI. He has been in solitary confinement in prison for nearly 2 years. Pakistan's government has now said if they go there to try to see him, they too will be arrested and put behind bars. This doesn't happen in a democracy or a functioning state. This isn't politics. It's a personal vendetta."
Goldsmith's statement comes after Pakistan Prime Minister's Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah warned that Khan's sons would be arrested if they participated in the PTI protest in Pakistan, The Express Tribune reported.
In a separate statement shared on X, Imran Khan's son, Kasim Khan, denounced the treatment of his father. He stated that Imran Khan is not allowed to meet his family, lawyers and personal doctor and termed it a "deliberate attempt to isolate and break a man who stood for rule of law, democracy, and Pakistan."
"My father, former Prime Minister Imran Khan, has now spent over 700 days in prison - held in solitary confinement. He is denied access to his lawyers, not allowed visits from his family, fully cut off from us (his children), and even his personal doctor is refused entry. This is not justice. It is a deliberate attempt to isolate and break a man who stood for rule of law, democracy, and Pakistan," Kasim Khan posted on X.
https://x.com/Kasim_Khan_1999/status/1942262324158685297
Earlier, Imran Khan's sister, Aleema Khan, said that the PTI founder's sons, Suleman and Kasim Khan, would join the protest movement initiated by him, The Express Tribune reported. She made the remarks after visiting Adiala Jail, where she, her sister Uzma, and Noreen Khan, along with party lawyers, were supposed to meet Imran Khan. However, she was not allowed to meet him.
Speaking to reporters, Aleema Khan said that Imran would lead the protest from jail. She said, "Imran Khan has said that he will lead the protest movement. He is free while in jail but we are prisoners despite being outside," The Express Tribune reported.
She announced that Suleman and Kasim would join the protest in support of their father. Earlier, in May, Suleman and Kasim had publicly addressed their father's detention and demanded international pressure on Pakistan for securing his release.
Imran Khan's sons had spoken about his situation for the first time, despite being reportedly allowed to contact him weekly since November 2023. According to PTI's Khan's sons, these calls were inconsistent and difficult to arrange.