PTI founder Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khanum on Friday said that his sons had applied for their Pakistani visas and were awaiting approval from the interior ministry ahead of their visit to the country.
In a post on X, she said: “A few days ago, Suleiman [Khan] and Kasim [Khan] applied for their visas with the Pakistan High Commission in London. The ambassador has intimated that he is awaiting approval from the Ministry of Interior in Islamabad.”
Imran’s sons — Sulaiman, 28, and Kasim, 26 — called attention to their father’s incarceration for the first time publicly in May. Last month, Aleema said they would go to the United States before coming to Pakistan as part of a movement calling for the ex-premier’s release. The siblings visited the US and engaged US lawmakers on the issue of their father’s incarceration.
Imran, imprisoned since August 2023, is serving a sentence at the Adiala Jail in a £190 million corruption case and also faces pending trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act related to the protests of May 9, 2023.
Aleema had previously said that the sons would “definitely” come to Pakistan as they had a National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis and they were “citizens of Pakistan”.
“If anything were to happen to Imran’s sons, it would become an international matter,” she had told reporters.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had remarked, “Why would the government stop Imran’s sons from coming to Pakistan?”
Earlier this week, the PTI swiftly rubbished media reports claiming that the incarcerated leader told reporters at Adiala Jail that his sons would not be coming to Pakistan and taking part in or leading any protest.
Although the government has not officially commented on the matter of Imran’s sons, Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry previously questioned what, if any, role they would be able to play, adding that they were welcome to visit Pakistan and there would be no obstacle for them. He continued that visas would be issued to them “in less than 24 hours”, provided they stayed within the law.
Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik had told Dawn.com that Article 16 of the Constitution, which grants the right to gather, was applicable to citizens and foreigners are not allowed to assemble in Pakistan.
Malik also said that the two brothers could not legally participate in local political activity as they were British nationals, and that if they “violate the visa conditions, the visa can be cancelled”.
There were conflicting statements from PML-N leaders as well on whether the duo would be allowed entry into Pakistan, with Senator Irfan Siddiqui saying they should be allowed to come and “carry out their activities”, but within the limitations of the law.
