Imran Khan’s family demand to see him as online rumours swirl that the former Pakistan PM has d!ed in prison

The family of Pakistan’s jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan is demanding to see him amid concerns for his well-being following rumours that he has died in prison. Khan has been locked up since August 2023 as he serves a 14-year sentence on corruption charges, one of dozens of cases he says were made up to keep him out of politics.  His sisters have in recent weeks been repeatedly denied a visit with Khan, and say they are becoming increasingly worried about his health.  It comes amid online rumours that the ex-PM had d!ed in Adiala jail, with multiple social media accounts spreading unconfirmed reports about his death. Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party condemned the ‘despicable’ rumours regarding Khan’s whereabouts. In a statement on X, the party demanded that the ‘current government and the interior ministry immediately and clearly dismiss and clarify the rumour and immediately arrange a meeting between Imran and his family’. ‘A formal and transparent statement should be issued on behalf of the state regarding the health, security, and current status of Imran,’ the party said. A spokesperson for PTI also said no one has seen Khan since November 4, and no reason had been given for not having a meeting.  Khan is being denied visits and medical support despite his status of a former prime minister. ‘His health is our concern. We are worried about his illegal isolation,’ spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari said.  Khan’s family and party members have protested outside the jail in the garrison city of Rawalpindi in recent days demanding to see him. His sisters, Noreen Niazi, Aleema Khan, and Dr Uzma Khan claimed they were recently ‘brutally’ assaulted outside the prison while demanding to see their brother.  Prison rules allow Khan to meet outsiders at least once a week, although jail authorities can suspend such access.  There have been long gaps spanning weeks when Khan was not allowed to meet outsiders, the party said. Local media reported that the 73-year-old former international cricketer might be moved to a high-security prison to make meeting him more challenging. A jail official told Reuters that the former premier was in good health, and that he was not aware of any plans to move him to any other facility.  He spoke on the condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to the media. The post Imran Khan’s family demand to see him as online rumours swirl that the former Pakistan PM has d!ed in prison appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.