'We have no updates': Imran’s sons voice concern over father's health in CNN interview

Kasim and Sulaiman, the sons of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, have said that they are deeply concerned about their father's health.

In an interview with CNN published on Thursday, they said that they had been left without updates because, according to them, Imran’s family, doctors and lawyers had not been allowed to meet him for the past seven months.

“We have no updates because his (Imran’s) family, doctors [and] lawyers haven’t been allowed to see him for seven months,” they said. Kasim added, “Been more in the dark than we’ve ever been through his incarceration.”

Speaking from London, the two brothers alleged that every time they publicly discussed their father, Pakistani authorities created further obstacles to their travel by delaying visas or raising other administrative issues.

“We’re trying, we’d like to go, but nothing’s coming through,” Kasim said. “There’s no reason we shouldn’t be accepted for a visa.” The government has previously stated that Kasim and Sulaiman could travel to Pakistan using their National Identity Cards for Overseas Pakistanis (Nicops). However, the brothers said those cards had expired and could no longer be used.

“So we’re not able to go by those, and the visa has never come; there were technical difficulties,” Kasim said. Asked whether their father might strike a deal with the government, both brothers said they believed such a possibility was unlikely.

Sulaiman said Imran “wouldn’t [reach a deal that left] the other political prisoners in there … unless they were able to get some kind of resolution as well”.

Kasim shared a similar view but said it was “hard to say”. He also expressed concern over the lack of information about his father’s condition, saying, “They’re refusing to show us any kind of health report. So his health may have deteriorated significantly since then.”