Jemima Goldsmith has sharply criticised the Pakistani government for allegedly preventing her sons from communicating with their father, former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has been imprisoned since August 2023.
The 71-year-old former cricketer and PTI founder has spent nearly two years in solitary confinement, following a series of cases filed against him ranging from corruption to terrorism after he was ousted via a no-confidence vote in April 2022.
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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… https://t.co/ccM7QFPmlV pic.twitter.com/z2v6PKgHto— Jemima Goldsmith (@Jemima_Khan) July 10, 2025
Jemima, who was married to Khan from 1994 to 2004, voiced her concerns in a post on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “My children aren’t allowed to speak on the phone to their father Imran Khan. 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.”
Her statement came in response to remarks from senior government officials suggesting that Khan’s sons, Kasim and Suleiman, could face arrest if they enter Pakistan and participate in Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s planned protests scheduled for later this month or next.
Rana Sanaullah, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs, stated during a television interview that Khan’s sons would be arrested if they attempted to lead what he called a “violent movement” in Pakistan.
Imran Khan’s son Kasim also issued a statement on social media, condemning the state’s treatment of his father: “My father… 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.”
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Meanwhile, Minister of State for Law and Justice, Barrister Aqeel Malik, speaking on Geo News’ Capital Talk, said the government had no issue with Khan’s sons visiting Pakistan, but objected to them engaging in political activities as foreign nationals. He added that their visa applications would be scrutinised, especially if their intent was political activism. Malik also criticised the PTI for allegedly using the boys for political gain, stating, “If they had any family values, they would have come to see their father earlier.”
PML-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui dismissed the political impact of the sons’ return, saying, “Their presence will not cause any political upheaval… His release depends on his actions, not his children’s or sisters’ involvement.”
In contrast, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja defended the sons’ right to participate in the party’s movement. Speaking outside the Islamabad High Court, he said, “It is their right as the sons of PTI’s founder,” and called for the suspension of the sentences against both Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi. Drawing historical parallels, he noted, “Benazir Bhutto also led a movement for her rights.”
Outside Adiala Jail, Imran Khan’s sister Aleema revealed that Khan’s sons plan to first travel to the United States to raise awareness before coming to Pakistan to support the PTI’s political campaign.