Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan has made very serious allegations regarding the conditions in which he is kept in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail. In an interview, Imran Khan’s sons Qasim Khan and Suleman Khan said that their father has been confined in a kind of ‘death cell’ for the last two years, where he has been kept in solitary confinement, dirty water and among prisoners dying of hepatitis. Both sons expressed fear that they might never see their father again.
In solitary confinement for two years!
Qasim Khan said in the interview that Imran Khan has been in solitary confinement for the last two years. He said, ‘The situation is not bad, but very frightening. He is being given dirty water and is among prisoners who are dying of hepatitis. Qasim said the recent rumors of his father’s death had been ‘extremely stressful’ for him.
No conversation with father since seven months
Qasim told in an interview to Sky News journalist Yalda Hakim that he and his brother have not spoken to their father for the last seven months. He said that he is trying to maintain hope, but the situation is such that there is no way out. Now we are beginning to fear that we may never see them again.
Planning to go to Pakistan in January
Qasim and Suleman Khan, living in UK, told that they are planning to go to Pakistan in January and have applied for visa for this. He says that he wants to meet his father, but till now the meeting has not been possible.
no contact with anyone
In the interview, Suleman Khan alleged that his father has been completely isolated from any kind of human contact. He said that Imran Khan was not even being allowed to talk to the jail guards, which he termed as ‘mental torture tactics’.
Locked in cell for 23 hours, sometimes electricity is also cut
Suleman told that Imran Khan is kept in a solitary cell for 23 hours every day. Many times their cell power is also cut off. He said, ‘He has been kept in conditions that do not meet international legal standards for any prisoner.’
Protest outside Adiala jail, use of water cannon
This interview has come at a time when Imran Khan’s sisters and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers staged another dharna outside Adiala jail. He was not allowed to meet the former Prime Minister, after which the police dispersed the crowd using water cannon. PTI alleges that the police used ‘chemical mixed water’.
Case registered in terrorism cases
On Thursday, cases were registered against Imran Khan’s three sisters and about 400 PTI workers in terrorism related cases. The party has described it as political vendetta. Last week, a UN official reminded the Shehbaz Sharif government that solitary confinement for long or indefinite periods is prohibited under international human rights law. The UN had also demanded immediate action in this matter. It is noteworthy that Imran Khan has been in jail since 2023 and he is accused of illegally selling government gifts.
