Calls move a “personal vendetta,” says sons denied contact with father in jail

July 10, 2025 — Web Desk

Jemima Goldsmith, ex-wife of former prime minister Imran Khan, has publicly condemned the Pakistani government for what she calls “a personal vendetta,” after officials threatened to arrest her sons if they travel to Pakistan and participate in Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s upcoming protest.

Taking to social media platform X, Jemima stated, “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 two years. Now Pakistan’s government says if they go there to try to see him, they too will be arrested. This doesn’t happen in a democracy or a functioning state. This isn’t politics. It’s a personal vendetta.”

Her remarks follow statements by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s adviser on political affairs, Rana Sanaullah, who warned during a televised interview that Imran Khan’s sons would be detained if they came to Pakistan to join a political movement. Sanaullah said, “If they come here to lead a violent movement, then what will be the consequence of that?”

Imran Khan, a former cricket legend turned politician, has been incarcerated since August 2023, facing a string of charges including corruption and terrorism. He has reportedly been kept in solitary confinement with limited or no access to his lawyers, family, or even medical care.

Kasim Khan, one of Imran Khan’s two sons, echoed Jemima’s concerns. In a post on social media, he wrote: “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.”

Meanwhile, Barrister Aqeel Malik, Minister of State for Law and Justice, said on Geo News’ Capital Talk that while there’s no objection to the sons visiting Pakistan, their participation in political activity as foreign nationals was not permissible. He further suggested their planned visit was politically motivated: “If they had any family values, they would have come to see their father earlier.”

He also accused PTI of using Kasim and Suleiman as “trump cards” in a political ploy.

PML-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui played down the impact of the sons’ potential visit, saying, “Their presence will not cause any political upheaval… there will be no storm if his children come to Pakistan.” He added that their participation wouldn’t affect Imran Khan’s legal fate: “His release depends on his actions.”

On the other hand, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja defended the sons’ right to be politically active. Speaking outside the Islamabad High Court, he stated, “It is the right of the sons of the PTI founder to be a part of the movement,” drawing parallels with Benazir Bhutto’s activism during her father’s imprisonment.

Imran Khan’s sister Aleema also revealed that Kasim and Suleiman plan to travel to the United States to raise international awareness about their father’s condition before heading to Pakistan to join the PTI protest movement.

Despite the ongoing political tensions, Siddiqui dismissed speculation of any change in government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, confirming that the current provincial administration would continue.