The family of Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan says it has gone more than three weeks without any verified sign that he is still alive, deepening their concern over what they describe as an enforced blackout surrounding his condition.
The warning marks the most serious public appeal yet from relatives who say they have been denied every court ordered prison visit. Their anxiety has widened the spotlight on Khan’s detention, which has already drawn criticism from rights groups and several foreign observers.
Kasim Khan, speaking to Reuters in written remarks, said the family has not had direct or confirmed contact with Khan for months. This continued shutdown of communication, he said, has left them fearing the worst.
He explained that not knowing whether his father is safe, injured or even alive had become a form of psychological pressure. He added that the family’s greatest concern was the possibility that something irreversible was being kept from public view.
Relatives have also pressed for access for Khan’s personal physician. Kasim said the doctor has not been permitted to assess him for more than a year.
Read Also: Pakistan’s Ex-PM Imran Khan Handed 10-Year Prison Sentence
Pakistan’s interior ministry did not answer Reuters requests for comment. A jail official, who spoke anonymously, said Khan remained in good health and that he was not aware of any plan to move him to a higher security facility.
Khan, now seventy three, has been held since August twenty twenty three after a succession of convictions that he insists were politically driven following his removal from office in a parliamentary vote the previous year.
His initial conviction stemmed from accusations that he unlawfully sold state gifts in the widely reported Toshakhana case. Subsequent rulings added lengthy prison terms, including a ten year sentence linked to an alleged leak of a diplomatic cable and a fourteen year sentence in a separate matter involving the Al Qadir Trust, a charity project investigators say was tied to improper land dealings.
Khan’s party, the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf, maintains that the prosecutions were designed to remove him from public life and prevent him from contesting future elections.
Relatives say the lack of access is part of an effort to isolate Khan and manage the public narrative. Local broadcasters have been instructed not to air his name or image, leaving only a single blurred photograph from a court appearance in circulation since his arrest.
Kasim said he believed the level of isolation was intentional. He argued that authorities were determined to keep his father out of sight because they feared his continued popularity.