LONDON/ISLAMABAD — Jemima Goldsmith, the ex-wife of incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, made a direct and emotional appeal to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday, urging him to intervene and allow her sons—Kasim Khan and Sulaiman Khan—to visit their father in prison.
In a post on X, Goldsmith expressed growing concern over Imran Khan’s health and the prolonged delay in processing her sons’ visa applications, which she said have now been pending for over 60 days despite official assurances of safe travel.
Health Concerns and Visa Delays
“My sons Sulaiman and Kasim applied for visas in January (again…) to allow them to visit their father Imran Khan in Pakistan. The Pakistan consulate states that online visa processing normally takes 7–10 working days. It has now been 60 days,” Goldsmith wrote.
She emphasized that the urgency of the request stems from reports about the former prime minister’s deteriorating health while in custody. Imran Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023, currently serving a sentence at Adiala Jail in connection with the £190 million corruption case. He also faces multiple pending trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) related to the May 9, 2023 protests.
“This is an appeal directly to Pakistan’s PM Shehbaz Sharif to please allow Imran Khan’s two sons to see their father asap, particularly since, by all accounts, his health is in decline,” she stated.
Four Years Without Their Father
According to Goldsmith, the brothers have not seen their father since November 2022, when Imran Khan survived an assassination attempt at a political rally in Wazirabad. Since then, all contact has been severed.
“They are not allowed to speak to him on the phone, nor send him a letter. They haven’t seen him since 2022 after he was shot in an assassination attempt,” she said.
Goldsmith noted that the visa delay persists despite what she described as public promises from Pakistani officials that the sons could safely travel to the country. She specifically referenced assurances given by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif to British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan, and by PM spokesperson Mosharraf Zaidi to Sky News presenter Yalda Hakim.
Previous Statements and Political Context
Last month, Kasim Khan accused the government of deliberately stalling the visa processing to prevent the siblings from meeting their father. He described the situation as “collective punishment,” arguing that denying a prisoner medical care and barring his children from visiting constitutes cruel treatment.
The brothers’ potential visit to Pakistan has also carried political overtones. Last year, Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan told reporters that the brothers would participate in a protest movement planned for August 5, 2025. However, subsequent reports indicated that Imran Khan himself had stated his sons would not be coming to Pakistan to join any protest activities.
More recently, the brothers have held meetings with key individuals in the United States, though the nature and purpose of those meetings remain unclear.
No Official Response Yet
As of Monday evening, there has been no official response from the Prime Minister’s Office or the Pakistan consulate regarding Goldsmith’s appeal or the status of the visa applications. The delay continues to draw attention from international media and human rights observers, who have raised questions about consular processing timelines and prisoners’ rights to family visits.
For Kasim and Sulaiman Khan, now four years into effective separation from their father, each passing day without resolution deepens the family’s frustration. Whether Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will respond to Goldsmith’s public appeal remains to be seen.
