ISLAMABAD: The jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s legal team on Tuesday claimed that his sons, Kasim and Suleman, applied for visa to come to Pakistan, amid ongoing restrictions on their father’s meetings with family and legal aides.
Talking to reporters outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC), Babar Awan, a senior lawyer on Khan’s legal team, said that Khan’s sons were not involved in politics and that their sole intention in visiting Pakistan was to meet their father.
He added that they had been unable to contact their father for months, despite the law requiring detainees to have communication with family at least once a week. “This is illegal,” he added.
The lawyer didn’t hold back, directly challenging the statements from two government ministers who boldly claimed that Khan would be denied any meetings until February 8, calling their stance both politically motivated and an outrageous attempt to silence him further.
He slammed their claims as unlawful, insisting that the ministers had no legal grounds to impose such draconian restrictions, questioning how they dared overstep their authority in this blatant abuse of power.
He sharply pointed out that these actions were nothing short of a double violation: flagrantly exceeding their legal powers and blatantly trampling on constitutional rights, further exposing the government’s disregard for the rule of law.
In his remarks, he made it clear that only two entities have the legal authority to regulate prison conditions – the court that sentences a prisoner and the prison’s administrative head.
“No one else holds that power,” he said.
“The ministers’ claims not only overstep legal boundaries but raise serious questions about their grasp on the law and their right to interfere in such matters.”
Awan further criticized the government’s handling of the situation, likening it to a scenario where individuals are detained first, and only then are conditions for meetings or release imposed.
Regarding the ban on political discussions in prison, he pointed out that records showed images of Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif holding meetings with up to 50 people, even while in National Accountability Bureau (NAB) custody.
“The real issue here is not about rules or regulations – it’s about the fear of Imran Khan and the threat he poses to the establishment,” he maintained.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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