Imran Khan’s sons have alleged that Pakistan’s Sharif government has deliberately denied them visas to visit their father.

The sons of Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan have accused the Shehbaz Sharif government of “deliberately” denying them visas, saying democracy in the country is “hollow” and basic human rights have been “crushed”.

Khan, 73, was arrested and jailed in August 2023 in multiple cases and is currently lodged in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail after being convicted in one of them.

Currently living in London, Suleiman Khan and Qasim Khan are Khan’s sons from his first marriage to British TV personality Jemima Goldsmith.

“My brother and I are trying to travel to Pakistan to see our father. For 914 days, he has been held in solitary confinement while his health has deteriorated and he has been denied access to independent medical care.

“Now the government is deliberately refusing to process our visas. Denying treatment to a prisoner is cruel. Denying his children the right to see him is mass punishment,” Mr Qasim Khan said in a post on X on Wednesday (Feb 4, 2026).

Imran Khan has been in solitary confinement for the past several months and his family claims that his health is not good.

On 29 January, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed that he had undergone a medical procedure for an eye disease in hospital a week earlier and was currently in “good health”.

The development came a day after the former prime minister’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) claimed that its jailed founder was suffering from a serious eye disease that could permanently damage his eyesight if not treated immediately.

Mr. Qasim Khan reiterated that his father has now “spent more than 900 days on death row without family visits and access to his personal doctor,” and in his post on X, credible reports confirm that he is suffering from central retinal vein occlusion, a dangerous condition that could lead to permanent vision loss if not treated through urgent medical intervention.

“Yet the authorities continue to restrict their treatment and deny them doctors they trust. I have been denied the right to speak to them. This is not governance. This is dictatorial cruelty,” Mr. Qasim Khan said and called on every defender of human rights to act “before it is too late”.

“The world must see that democracy in Pakistan today is hollow and crushing basic human rights. I call on international human rights organizations and governments to speak up and act before irreversible damage is done,” he said.

Ahead of Minister Tarar’s statement, PTI uploaded a post on social media with the title “Imran Khan’s grave health emergency and stubborn response of government and Adiala Jail administration”.

“PTI has learned through credible media reports that former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been diagnosed with CRVO (Central Retinal Vein Occlusion) in his right eye, resulting in a dangerous blockage in the retinal vein.”

“According to the medical experts who examined him in prison, this is a very sensitive and serious medical condition which, if not treated promptly and properly, carries a high risk of permanent damage to his vision,” it said.