Islamabad: With rumours about the death of Pakistani prime minister and cricketer Imran Khan continuing to do the rounds, his son, Kasim Khan, has issued a sharp public appeal over his father’s treatment in prison.
The 73-year-old leader has been held in solitary confinement for weeks with no family access and no transparency from authorities, his son has said.
Khan’s family, party leaders and provincial have been criticising the government fir what they describe as the imposition of an “undeclared blackout” and suppression surrounding the former prime minister’s condition inside Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail.
Rumours about his death surfaced and spread like wildfire after a handle called ‘Afghanistan Times’ claimed that credible sources said that the former Pakistan PM had been “murdered” in Adiala Jail.
The claims have not been confirmed by any credible agency or department, and have also been categorically denied by the prison authorities.
Kasim Khan, meanwhile, on an X post said his father has been detained for 845 days, and for the last six weeks has been kept in solitary confinement “in a death cell,” with authorities refusing all visits despite court orders.
According to him, Khan’s sisters have been repeatedly denied access, while his sons have had “no contact” and “no proof of life”.
“This absolute blackout is not a security protocol. It is a deliberate attempt to hide his condition,” he wrote, warning that the Pakistani government and “its handlers” would be held accountable.
He urged global human-rights organisations and democratic governments to intervene, demanding immediate proof of life and an end to the “inhumane isolation” of what he called Pakistan’s “most popular political leader”.
Imran Khan’s sister Noreen Niazi also accused the Pakistan government of enforcing a harsh environment of censorship. Speaking to ANI, she claimed journalists and media owners were being detained and “oppressed” into silence.
“Censorship in Pakistan is so extreme that they apprehend media people… They oppress them so much that when they are let out, they’re not even allowed to speak,” she said, adding that well-known journalists have fled the country with their passports and properties blocked.
Drawing a historical parallel, she said, “We used to hear and read about Hitler… the same thing is happening in Pakistan.”
Niazi also criticised the Shehbaz Sharif government as “extremely unpopular,” alleging election rigging and describing the administration as weak and oppressive.
She expressed little hope of international intervention, claiming Western governments were aware of “fraud” in Pakistan but would not act.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Sohail Afridi staged a dharna near Adiala Jail on Thursday after being denied a meeting with Imran Khan for the eighth time. He and accompanying Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers were stopped by police before reaching the prison.
He accused authorities of defying court orders and questioned why a representative of “25 million people” was being blocked, calling it a “dangerous precedent”. He claimed even Khan’s sisters, lawyers and doctors were being denied access.
PTI leaders, including Zulfi Bukhari and Meher Bano Qureshi, reiterated concerns, demanding that the government issue a clear, transparent statement on Khan’s health and immediately allow family visits.
Adiala Jail officials, however, dismissed allegations of mistreatment or declining health, calling widespread social-media speculation “baseless”.
Authorities said Khan was in “completely good health,” receiving all necessary care, and had not been transferred out of the facility.
Reports of a move or any medical emergency were unfounded, they reiterated.
