Pakistan is accused by the politician’s sons of trying to assassinate Imran Khan.
The cricket legend has been denied access to medical care by court order and has instead been forced to remain in his 6-by-8-foot solitary confinement cell.
Khan’s sons, Sulaiman and Kasim, said they expect a similar scenario to play out to the 2019 death of former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, who died in a courtroom of a heart attack that many human rights groups believe was caused by the abuse and neglect he experienced in solitary confinement.
Pakistan’s former prime minister, 73, was jailed in Rawalpindi’s infamous Adiala prison just over three years ago and is serving two separate sentences of 17 and 14 years respectively for corruption, among other charges. He has denied the allegations.
Kasim, 27, told Times Radio that he feared an assassination attempt and that several inmates in the prison have died of hepatitis due to the poor conditions, something he fears his father could contract.
Authorities could then “ultimately blame it on natural causes,” referring to the fact that his father contracted the fatal disease.
Lawyers have said Khan’s health has recently deteriorated due to the barbaric conditions, prompting the Supreme Court to intervene and order a transfer to a private hospital where an independent health assessment could be carried out.
However, he was instead briefly taken to a government hospital, where he was deemed fit to return to his cell – despite reportedly losing 85 percent of his vision in his right eye due to a blood clot.
Imran Khan has been denied access to medical care by court order and has instead been forced to remain in his 6-by-8-foot solitary confinement cell
Last month, Sky Sport aired an interview with the two sons during a cricket match between England and Pakistan, prompting the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to threaten to abandon the match.
‘He himself said that he feared that the Pakistani establishment would want to do to him what had happened to Morsi in Egypt. He made that comparison immediately. So that is definitely our fear,” Sulaiman, 29, said.
The sons, whose mother is heiress Jemima Goldsmith, accused the British government of insufficient support and hope to discuss this with the new Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
Sulaiman and Kasim have not seen their father since his assassination attempt four years ago and cannot visit Pakistan due to visa problems.
David Lammy, when he was foreign secretary, advised them not to travel to Pakistan if visas were granted – this was because Britain could not provide support if they were arrested on Pakistani soil, he said.
The sons hope to discuss with Burnham the possibility of traveling to Islamabad and arranging some support from Britain, which would be enough to deter Pakistani officials from arresting them.
‘There is nothing they fear more than foreign countries, foreign intervention. But as long as we do it without any support, they have full power in Pakistan and can do absolutely anything. They are very, very unpredictable and chaotic,” they said.
Sulaiman also told Times Radio that he believed his father had been offered deals such as house arrest or exile, but that he would not have taken them because he would be limited in what he could say and would not leave party members behind bars in the same way.
The sons previously described his inhumane accommodation in which he lived for more than two years as a ‘death row’ with ‘filthy water’.
Khan’s sons Sulaiman and Kasim have said they fear their father will be killed by Pakistani authorities
“The conditions are disgusting and he is completely isolated from any human contact,” Kasim said. Their last contact with their father was via a phone call six months ago.
He added that his father was subjected to “psychological torture tactics” as even the prison guards were not allowed to communicate with him as he spends 23 hours in isolation.
Khan complained of high blood pressure, palpitations and anxiety to his sister, who was allowed to stay with him for a short period at the government hospital.
Last month, Sky Sports aired an interview with the two sons during a cricket match between England and Pakistan, prompting the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to threaten to abandon the match.
The heavily politicized PCB is sensitive to any criticism of government policy and has denied assaulting Khan or banning prison visits by his family and lawyers.
International efforts to improve Khan’s living conditions converged again in February, when 14 cricketing greats from around the world, including former England captains Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton, launched a humanitarian appeal for better treatment for Khan in an open letter.
During his time as an international cricketer, Khan became one of the most successful all-rounders in history. He played 88 Test matches and capped his career by leading Pakistan to World Cup glory in 1992.
He enjoyed popular support when he became prime minister in 2018, but fell out with the military establishment-turned-kings and was removed from power in a vote of no confidence in 2022.
His supporters have taken to the streets several times since his arrest in May 2023 to demand his release.
