PTI founder Imran Khan’s sons said that United States President Donald Trump was a figure who “can make a difference” in their incarcerated father’s situation.
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.
Sulaiman Khan, 28, and Kasim Khan, 26 called attention to their father’s incarceration for the first time publicly in May.
Last month, Imran’s sister Aleema Khanum 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 Khan’s sister Aleema Khanum said that the former prime minister’s sons had applied for Pakistani visas and were awaiting clearance from the interior ministry ahead of a planned visit.
Taking to X, Aleema stated: “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”.
However, the Ministry of Interior refuted Aleema’s claims regarding visa applications for Imran’s sons, saying that no such requests were under consideration by the ministry.
According to sources in the interior ministry, no visa applications pertaining to Imran Khan’s sons were currently being processed or reviewed by the ministry.
They clarified that the issuance of family visas – or any type of visa, for that matter – does not fall under the purview of the interior ministry.
“The assertion that the visa matter is being dealt with by the Ministry of Interior is contrary to the facts.”
The official added that such visas come under the jurisdiction of Pakistan’s high commissions and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Her remarks also prompted a pointed response from Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, who took issue with her previous claim that the siblings already possessed National Identity Cards for Overseas Pakistanis (Nicop).
It is pertinent to note that Aleema had earlier insisted that Imran Khan’s sons were “citizens of Pakistan” and would “definitely” come to visit him in prison, citing their Nicop status. “If anything were to happen to Imran’s sons, it would become an international matter,” she had told reporters previously.
