Pakistan’s Establishment and Government Accused of Using Imran Khan’s Medical Condition to Pressure Him
Supporters say delayed treatment and restricted access were intended to force the jailed former prime minister into seeking hospitalization that could be portrayed as a political concession
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan has refused to grant visas to the sons of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan, as concerns mount over his health and conditions of detention, his party and family members said.
Supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) rallied in Peshawar on Dec. 7, 2025, demanding his release. The 73-year-old former premier has been held largely in solitary confinement at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi and has not been seen by family members since early December, according to PTI officials.
Sulaiman and Kasim Khan, who live in London with their mother Jemima Goldsmith, first applied for Pakistani visas in July 2025 and reapplied on Jan. 15 this year, Khan’s sister Aleema Khan told media outlets. The applications remain pending with the Interior Ministry.
A source within the ministry, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the decision to withhold the approvals was deliberate and that authorities intended to deny the visas on technical grounds rather than issue an outright rejection.
The government has not publicly commented on the status of the applications.
Health concerns have intensified after PTI officials and Khan’s personal physician said he was diagnosed with Central Retinal Vein Occlusion (CRVO), a serious eye condition that can cause permanent blindness if untreated.
Dr. Aasim Yusuf, Khan’s physician of more than 20 years, said the condition requires repeated hospital-based treatment, including specialized injections and close monitoring over months or years. He said attempts to examine Khan at Adiala Jail were blocked by authorities.
PTI supporters allege that Khan’s deteriorating health has been used as a political tool. They claim that the military establishment and the government led by military Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif deliberately delayed adequate medical treatment in order to pressure Khan into requesting hospitalisation, which they say could then be portrayed publicly as an attempt to seek a political deal or amnesty, commonly referred to in Pakistan as an “NRO.”
According to PTI officials, Khan has suffered up to 85% vision loss as a result of the untreated condition.
Khan has consistently denied charges against him, including corruption and other convictions, calling them politically motivated retaliation following his fallout with senior military leadership. Some of his convictions have been overturned by courts.
The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has previously described Khan’s imprisonment as arbitrary, while a UN special rapporteur warned that his detention conditions may constitute inhuman or degrading treatment.
Khan’s sons last saw him in 2022 and spoke to him briefly by phone in September 2025. His wife, Bushra Bibi, is also imprisoned in the same complex on separate charges and has been barred from family visits since December.
Despite mounting criticism from rights groups, Pakistan’s government has continued to strengthen diplomatic engagement with Washington. Earlier this month, officials announced Pakistan would participate in a new international initiative known as the “Board of Peace,” associated with former U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal regarding Gaza.
Kasim Khan told Reuters in December that the family’s “greatest fear is that something irreversible is being hidden from us.”