Imran Khan's Sons Accuse Pakistan Army Chief of Vendetta
Kasim Khan and Sulaiman Khan have accused Pakistan's chief of defence forces and army chief Asim Munir of a personal vendetta against their father Imran Khan, and say they fear he is being slowly killed in jail.
The brothers, aged 27 and 29, spoke from London, where they live as the sons from Imran Khan's first marriage to Jemima Goldsmith. Their account was published on 15 September 2026. It was their most direct public statement since their father's imprisonment. The Guardian
Imran Khan, 73, has been held in Adiala prison in Rawalpindi since his arrest in 2023. He is serving a 14-year sentence on corruption charges. His sons say they have not been allowed to speak to him for more than six months. No calls. No visits.
They describe solitary confinement, meaning held alone with almost no contact with others, in a cell 6ft by 8ft. They say a worsening eye condition went without proper care for months and has likely caused almost complete loss of sight in one eye. They also say he has been diagnosed with high blood pressure.
Pakistan's Supreme Court was scheduled to rule on a Wednesday on a case alleging contempt, meaning disobeying a court order, for denying Imran Khan private hospital treatment and family visits. The ruling will clarify whether prison authorities defied judicial instructions on medical access and contact.
Outside the courtroom, his party is mobilising. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the party Imran Khan founded in 1996, was planning a nationwide march later in September 2026 demanding his release.
International scrutiny has grown around the detention. The United Nations has said Imran Khan's prolonged detention violates international law. The UN special rapporteur on torture said his solitary confinement and detention conditions could amount to psychological torture.
The sons had broken a long public silence in late August 2026, when Sky Sports aired an interview with them during its coverage of a Test match between England and Pakistan. The Pakistan Cricket Board made a formal complaint to Sky Sports after the broadcast, and the Pakistani team threatened to refuse to return to the field after the lunch break.
The accusation against Munir draws on a history of direct confrontation. Imran Khan fired Munir from a senior post in 2019. In May 2023, Imran Khan accused Pakistan's military of ordering his arrest and alleged that Munir and other senior military figures had a vested interest in ensuring he did not return to power. In court that month, he said his battle was not with the whole military establishment but with "one man, the army chief". Sulaiman Isa Khan has since said Pakistan is sliding into dictatorship.
The broader context here is a familiar standoff between civilian leaders and the military entering a more personal and less reversible phase. When family members allege medical neglect, UN bodies cite international law and psychological torture, and cricket coverage turns into a diplomatic dispute, the case is no longer contained within Pakistan's courts. What to watch now is narrow: whether the Supreme Court enforces its orders on treatment and access, whether the PTI march changes the military's calculations, and whether outside legal findings limit Islamabad's ability to present the case as purely domestic corruption enforcement.
