Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s son, Kasim Khan, has revealed that he and his brother Suleiman have applied for visas and are intending to visit Pakistan in January. He also spoke about the circumstances in which the former prime minister is being held, alleging that Imran Khan is confined in what he described as a “death cell”.These comments were made in an interview with Sky News journalist Yalda Hakim.

The interview coincided with another protest outside Adiala Jail by Imran Khan’s sisters, who were demanding access to meet him. The sit-in was dispersed using water cannons, with PTI claiming that the water contained chemicals.In the interview, which was aired early Wednesday, Kasim and Suleiman both London-based were asked whether they had attempted to communicate with Pakistani authorities to seek permission to meet their father.

Hakim reminded them that they had earlier spoken about being discouraged from travelling, despite Defence Minister Khawaja Asif publicly stating that they were welcome to visit Imran Khan. Responding to this, Kasim said, “We are now planning to because they said it openly. So — unless they go against their word — we should be hopefully going in January. We have applied for our visas. It hasn’t come through yet. We are expecting it to come through, so we are planning a trip in January.”

 Hakim then asked what message they would convey to their father upon meeting him and whether they would urge him to consider negotiating a deal. Kasim responded that Imran Khan’s political struggle was deeply personal and central to his identity, explaining that “what you have to understand is it’s his life. It’s literally his passion and his goal. He calls it his life’s purpose to help rid Pakistan of corruption”. 

He added that if Imran Khan were to leave politics and relocate to England, it would leave him emotionally burdened, saying, “And so if he just took a deal and came over to us and lived in England, I know there would be this burning desire and this aching that he has left his country for dead. And he would be depressed, to be honest.

I know he would.” Kasim further said that while the family would want their father close to them, they respected his sense of purpose, stating, “This is his goal, and as much as we’d love to have our father watching all of our cricket matches or football matches over here, he has a purpose which is far greater. So, you can only respect it.” 

Asked what else he would like to say to Imran Khan, Kasim expressed frustration and helplessness, saying, “I want to know how we can get him out, how we can help because the main point is we feel so helpless at this point. I mean, there’s so much to catch up on.” 

He also shared that during their conversations, Imran Khan avoids discussing his imprisonment conditions, noting that “He’s like, ‘Oh, you know, don’t worry about me. How’s everything?’” Kasim added that his father also regularly asked about their grandmother, Lady Annabel Goldsmith, who passed away in October.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)