More than three weeks have passed without any verifiable sign that Imran Khan is alive, and his family says the silence feels deliberate.
With court-ordered visits blocked and no direct communication, his sons Kasim and Suleiman Isa Khan say they are being pushed into uncertainty about their father’s condition.
“Not knowing whether your father is safe, injured or even alive is a form of psychological torture,” Kasim Khan told Reuters in written remarks. There has been “no independently confirmed communication for a couple of months,” he said.
“Today we have no verifiable information at all about his condition,” he added. “Our greatest fear is that something irreversible is being hidden from us.”
Their requests for Khan’s personal physician to examine him have been repeatedly turned down. The doctor has not been allowed to see Khan for over a year.
Pakistan’s interior ministry has not commented, while a jail official speaking anonymously said the 73-year-old was in good health and that he was unaware of any plans to shift him to a high-security facility.
Khan has been in jail since August 2023 after multiple convictions that he says were politically motivated. His first case involved the alleged illegal sale of state gifts, better known as the Toshakhana case.
Other verdicts followed, 10 years in a case concerning a leaked diplomatic cable and 14 years in the Al-Qadir Trust matter, which prosecutors say involved improper land dealings.
His party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), argues the cases aim to remove him from public life.
The family says the information blackout appears intentional. Kasim points to television restrictions that bar channels from using Khan’s name or image. The only public glimpse of him is a single grainy court photograph taken months ago.
“This isolation is intentional,” he said. “They are scared of him. He is Pakistan's most popular leader and they know they cannot defeat him democratically.”
Kasim and Suleiman, who live in London with their mother, Jemima Goldsmith, have stayed away from Pakistan’s political churn over the years. Their public comments have been limited to concerns over their father’s imprisonment.
Their last meeting with Khan was in November 2022, shortly after he survived an assassination attempt.
“That image has stayed with me ever since. Seeing our father in that state is something you don't forget,” Kasim said. “We were told he would recover with time. Now, after weeks of total silence and no proof of life, that memory carries a different weight.”
The family is reaching out to international human rights groups and continues to demand that court-ordered access be restored.
“This is not just a political dispute,” Kasim said. “It is a human rights emergency. Pressure must come from every direction. We draw strength from him, but we need to know he is safe.”
Amid these concerns, a Rawalpindi anti-terror court on Monday dismissed a petition by Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, seeking removal of terrorism charges related to a PTI protest held in November 2024.
She is accused along with 11 others of participating in an illegal demonstration, chanting anti-government slogans, vandalism and stone-pelting.
Justice Amjad Ali Shah upheld the inclusion of Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, saying the provision and the court’s jurisdiction were valid.
The case has seen multiple delays, with Aleema missing several hearings. She finally appeared on November 20 after the court issued property seizure orders and 11 arrest warrants.
The matter has been adjourned to December 4, with summons issued to government witnesses.