Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran reports anxiety due to restrictions on meetings with wife in prison

The sons of former Pakistani leader Imran Khan, who is currently in prison, have stated that they are worried about their father's health, claiming that authorities in the South Asian country are preventing them from visiting him.

On the third anniversary of their father's arrest, Kasim and Suleman Isa Khan reported that they have no updates because the family, doctors, and lawyers have been denied access to him for seven months.

Thousands of activists from Khan's party, Tehreek-e-Insaf, took to the streets across the country on Wednesday to demand the release of the former star cricketer turned politician and his wife, Bushra Bibi.

Khan led the country from 2018 until his removal through a vote of no confidence in parliament in 2022. Since then, he has been incarcerated following convictions on charges including corruption and disclosure of state secrets—charges that he and his supporters view as politically motivated retaliation against his opposition to the current government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

After his ouster, Khan held large rallies against the Sharif government, accusing it of orchestrating his downfall in collusion with the military and the United States (a claim denied by both the military and the US). The Sharif government responded by increasing pressure on Khan's party, arresting its leaders and banning it from participating in the 2024 elections.

Kasim and Suleman spoke with CNN from London, where they have resided since the dissolution of Khan's marriage to his first wife, Jemima Goldsmith, in 2004. From the UK, they oppose their father's imprisonment, asserting that every time they contact the media, Pakistani authorities complicate their ability to see him by delaying visas or entangling them in administrative issues.

Kasim stated: 'We try, we would like to go, but nothing goes through.' He added: 'There is no reason why we wouldn't be accepted for a visa.'

Pakistan's Ministry of Information told CNN that Kasim and Suleman possess National Identity Cards for Pakistanis Abroad—a document that should imply they do not require visas to enter the country—and that their claims are 'misleading and appear to be an attempt to turn an administrative process into a political score-settling issue.'

However, Kasim and Suleman stated that their cards had expired and had not been renewed—a statement to which the ministry did not respond. Amnesty International published a statement this week calling on Pakistani authorities to 'unconditionally restore Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi Khan's right to communicate with family and lawyers.' The human rights group noted that this couple 'should have access to adequate medical care, and their solitary confinement, which is illegal, must be immediately terminated.'

The program 'Qutniiti' examines the situation of inmate number 804. The Pakistani government wanted the world to remember this number but forgot the man himself. However, the opposite has happened: this man now exerts significant influence on all of Pakistan's politics, even without holding rallies.

Today, Ibrahim Khan completed three years of imprisonment. He was removed from power through a vote of no confidence in April 2022, after which he was incarcerated. The goal of this move was to remove him from public view. Nevertheless, all attempts to silence Ibrahim Khan have only contributed to him becoming an even more influential public leader.

Within the framework of the 'Qutniiti' program, it will be analyzed in detail how the inmate managed to become more powerful than those who imprisoned him.