'No embargo' on Imran Khan's sons meeting him in jail, says Pak govt

Lahore, Dec 20 (PTI) Pakistan government said on Saturday that there is "no embargo" on former prime minister Imran Khan's sons meeting their incarcerated father if they travel to the country.

Pakistani authorities have reportedly imposed unannounced restrictions on meetings with Khan on the grounds that the visitors use such meetings for political ends. Following the move, his family and party members have expressed concerns about the conditions in which he is being kept inside the prison.

"There has been no embargo on Suleman Khan and Kasim Khan to meet their father, Imran Khan, at Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi," Interior State Minister Talal Chaudhry told reporters here.

Suleman and Kasim, who currently live in London, are Khan's sons from his first marriage with British TV personality Jemima Goldsmith.

Chaudhry's statement comes days after the brother-duo in an interview with Sky News earlier this week said they fear they might never see their jailed father ever again.

The Khan brothers said they have not seen or spoken to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder, who has been in prison since August 2023, for months and that they were concerned about his safety and well-being.

"If Suleman and Kasim apply for a Pakistani visa, we will give them. We will not stop them from meeting their father; therefore, the propaganda that the Pakistani government is creating hurdles in the meeting between father and sons should be stopped," Chaudhry said.

He also denied that Khan is kept in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day.

The PTI leader's sons in the interview have claimed that their father is being kept in isolation in jail, saying these are “clear torture tactics”.

Khan, who has been in jail since August 2023, faces multiple cases launched against him since his ouster from power in April 2022.

A United Nations special rapporteur has also warned that Khan is being held in conditions that could amount to inhuman or degrading treatment.

In the interview with Sky News, Kasim claimed Khan was being held in a cell that was six feet by eight inches, barely enough to stand.

"They are not even allowing guards to speak to him because they want total isolation from any other person, just to try and break him. So it’s all very clear torture tactics,” he said. PTI MZ SCY SCY