28 August,2026 06:48 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Imran Khan (File pic)
Sulaiman and Kasim Khan, the sons of former Pakistani Prime Minister and cricket icon Imran Khan, have voiced deep fears regarding their father's safety while in custody, claiming that transparent attempts are underway to endanger his life behind bars.
The brothers shared their concerns during an 18-minute interview on Sky Sports hosted by former England captain Mike Atherton, who was among 21 international cricket figures who recently wrote to the Pakistani government requesting adequate medical care for the 73-year-old.
Expressing anxiety over their father's isolation and poor health condition, Kasim highlighted how restricted his access has become.
"It's very, very clear what they're doing, which is they're just blatantly trying to kill him in there. They just want to keep him in there as long as possible and hopefully just silence him," said Kasim, voicing concerns about the current state of his 73-year-old father.
"The last time he was able to speak to our aunties and anyone else, he said the conditions have severely worsened recently. He has been relating it to other political prisoners who have been killed or who have died in prison.
"Right now, it is worse than ever, completely isolating him for more than 23 hours a day in a cell," he added.
Despite a recent medical check-up ordered by Pakistan's Supreme Court, where Imran Khan was temporarily transferred to Shifa Hospital in Islamabad before being quickly returned to Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail, his sons argued that medical experts have been systematically excluded.
"...it just makes us think, what are they hiding? Why are they so fearful of allowing him to get reported on by an unbiased, neutral doctor?" Sulaiman said.
"We were cautiously optimistic (when court ordered medical check-up). Our fears were confirmed when, instead of being taken to the private hospital, where he was meant to be taken, he was just taken to a government medical facility for a few hours, and then taken straight back to jail," he alleged.
The brothers, who haven't seen their father in person since he survived an assassination attempt in 2022 and last spoke with him via phone in March, added that administrative hurdles and safety concerns continue to prevent them from visiting him in Rawalpindi.
