The sons of incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan have accused authorities of keeping their father in harsh and isolating conditions, claims that the government has strongly denied as politically motivated.
In an interview with British journalist Mehdi Hasan — a four-minute preview of which is available on Zeteo’s website — Kasim and Sulaiman Khan described their father’s jail conditions as “awful” and alleged that he was being subjected to “clear torture tactics.”
🚨In London, I interviewed Imran Khan’s sons @Kasim_Khan_1999 and Sulaiman about their father’s detention, which they call torture, and the role of Trump and the UK government, and much more. Check it out. Preview clips below.
Full Zeteo interview: https://t.co/1mkudgeDxa pic.twitter.com/syDLXhQCkK
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) December 19, 2025
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They said court-mandated weekly calls were not being honored, with Sulaiman claiming he last spoke to Imran in July, while Kasim said his last conversation was in September. They stated they last met their father in November 2022 following an assassination attempt.
Kasim alleged that Imran was confined to a six-by-eight-foot cell, lacked basic facilities, and was being kept in complete isolation, reportedly unable to interact even with prison guards. “They want total isolation just to try and break him,” he said, claiming the former premier was forced to wash with murky water and was provided poor-quality food.
Mehdi Hasan tells the story of an overseas Pakistani, who burst into tears out of love for Imran Khan.
This is the fear of his popularity and love of masses that they had kept him imprisoned. #رسائی_نہیں_خان_کی_رہائی pic.twitter.com/A5k0iZWzFR
— Tehreek-e-Insaf (@InsafPK) December 19, 2025
A United Nations special rapporteur has also warned that the conditions under which Imran is being held could amount to inhuman or degrading treatment.
However, the government has dismissed the allegations. Mosharraf Zaidi, spokesperson to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for foreign media, told Zeteo that Imran is not confined to a cell and is instead housed in designated living quarters designed to ensure his security and comfort. He said the former prime minister has access to a gym, outdoor space, reading facilities, a personal cook, and medical oversight, spending at least six hours daily outside his sleeping area. Zaidi accused Imran’s sons and supporters of being “misled by disinformation.”
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Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry also rejected the “isolation” claims, saying Imran enjoys multiple privileges in jail and has had phone communication with his sons “totalling over 14 hours.” Responding to the brothers’ claim that they faced hurdles visiting Pakistan, he said they have not applied for visas nor renewed their National Identity Cards for Overseas Pakistanis, promising visas “within hours” if they apply. He cautioned the PTI against “playing the sympathy card.”
Kasim and Sulaiman have said they intend to visit Pakistan in January, after earlier describing their father’s detention as equivalent to being kept in a “death cell” during a Sky News interview. They also recently met senior U.S. Republican figure Richard Grenell in efforts to advocate for their father’s release.
“He is a man of faith. He always says Allah protects him.”
Imran Khan’s sons speak to Mehdi Hasan. https://t.co/MdU5DUrjrW
— Faizan (@faizannriaz) December 19, 2025
As the political and legal standoff continues, contrasting narratives over Imran Khan’s detention conditions remain sharply divided between his family and the government.