By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The sons of Pakistan’s imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan met with Richard Grenell, a key aide to US President Donald Trump, in California on Tuesday, intensifying their campaign to secure their father’s release from jail. Khan, 71, has been detained since August 2023 on corruption charges his supporters decry as politically motivated, a case that has drawn growing international attention to Pakistan’s turbulent political landscape.
Sulaiman Khan, 28, and Kasim Khan, 26, held talks with Grenell, Trump’s special envoy for special missions, as part of a broader push that began in May when they broke their silence on their father’s plight. Grenell, a vocal Khan advocate, wrote on X after the meeting: “There are millions of people around the world who are sick of political prosecutions. You are not alone.” His support, amplified since Trump’s 2024 election win, has bolstered the brothers’ efforts, which now include outreach to US lawmakers and activists.
Khan, a celebrated cricketer who transformed into one of Pakistan’s most polarising political figures, is serving a sentence at Adiala Jail in a £190 million corruption case tied to alleged financial misconduct. Since his ouster via a no-confidence vote in April 2022, he has faced a cascade of legal battles, including pending trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act linked to violent protests on May 9, 2023. His detention has sparked outrage among supporters who see it as a politically motivated effort to silence him.
The Khan brothers’ campaign gained further momentum with their meeting alongside Dr. Asif Mahmood, a Pakistani American physician and vice chairman of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). Dr. Mahmood, a key figure in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party’s outreach to American audiences, shared a photo of the gathering on X. “Immense pride for [Kasim] and Sulaiman Khan for their bravery in fighting for their father, former prime minister Imran Khan’s freedom.” He lauded Grenell for “standing for justice and principle” and urged unity to secure Khan’s release.
The push for Khan’s freedom comes amid heightened US scrutiny of Pakistan’s human rights record. Last week, a congressional hearing on Pakistan featured sharp exchanges about the country’s political prisoners. Republican Congressman Christopher H. Smith warned that Congress might soon press the Trump administration to consider sanctions against nations flouting religious freedom and human rights. Democratic Congressman James McGovern stressed the need for dialogue “about political prisoners, the future of Imran Khan … but also how you do it.” PTI representative Zulfi Bukhari attended, amplifying the party’s voice on Capitol Hill.
Yet, US-Pakistan ties show signs of thawing. In June, Trump met with Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, an unprecedented engagement, while US officials have praised Pakistan as a “phenomenal partner” in counterterrorism. These developments frame the Khan family’s campaign within a complex diplomatic dance.
The brothers’ next steps remain uncertain, particularly regarding a potential visit to Pakistan. Earlier this month, Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, told reporters in Rawalpindi that Sulaiman and Kasim planned to travel from the United Kingdom to the US before heading to Pakistan to join PTI’s protest movement. “Firstly, they are going to America and they’re telling all their friends, ‘And we will go and tell them [U.S. administration] about the human rights [situation] and what injustice is being done to their father,’” she said. “Secondly, Sulaiman [and] Qasim have said, ‘After that, we will come to Pakistan.’ And they want to play their part in the [protest] movement.”
Pakistani authorities, however, have sent mixed signals. Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik told reporters that Article 16 of the Constitution, which governs the right to assemble, applies only to citizens. As British nationals, he warned, the brothers could not legally engage in political activity, and violating visa conditions could lead to cancellation.
PML-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui offered a softer stance, suggesting they should be allowed entry but must stay within legal limits. Senior officials have hinted at possible arrests if the duo joins PTI protests slated for later this month or next.
The personal toll of Khan’s imprisonment resonates deeply with his family. In June, Kasim Khan took to X, writing, “My father, former prime minister Imran Khan, has now spent over 700 days in prison — held in solitary confinement. He is denied access to his lawyers, not allowed visits from his family, fully cut off from us (his children), and even his personal doctor is refused entry. This is not justice. It is a deliberate attempt to isolate and break a man who stands for rule of law, democracy and Pakistan.”
In a separate post, he added, “Today, he is silenced, tortured, imprisoned, and completely cut off from us. From the moment we could understand, he taught my brother and me how devastating a corrupt government can be. To see him now accused of that very crime is a cruel, intolerable irony.” Jemima Goldsmith, Khan’s former wife, has also weighed in, lambasting the Pakistani government for threatening to block her sons’ access to their father.
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