Jemima accuses govt of waging ‘personal vendetta’ against her sons

• Ex-PTI founder’s wife says children receiving arrest threats if they visit incarcerated father, denied phone contact

LONDON/ISLAMABAD: Jemima Goldsmith, the former wife of incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan, on Thursday accused the Pakistani government of preventing her children from meeting and speaking to their father, describing the threats to arrest them if they try to visit him as “a personal vendetta.”

“My children aren’t allowed to speak on the phone to their father Imran Khan. He has been in solitary confinement in prison for nearly 2 years,” Jemina Goldsmith posted on X (formerly Twitter).

My children are not allowed to speak on the phone to their father @ImranKhanPTI. He has been in solitary confinement in prison for nearly 2 years.
Pakistan’s government has now said if they go there to try to see him, they too will be arrested and put behind bars.
This doesn’t… https://t.co/ccM7QFPmlV pic.twitter.com/z2v6PKgHto

— Jemima Goldsmith (@Jemima_Khan) July 10, 2025

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder has been in solitary confinement since August 2023, after being imprisoned on multiple charges ranging from corruption to terrorism.

“Pakistan’s government has now said if they go there to try to see him, they too will be arrested and put behind bars. This doesn’t happen in a democracy or a functioning state. This isn’t politics. It’s a personal vendetta,” she added.

Goldsmith’s statement came after remarks by Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah warned that Khan’s sons would be arrested if they joined a planned PTI protest in Pakistan.

Earlier, Imran’s sister, Aleema Khan, had said that the former premier’s sons, Suleman and Kasim Khan, would join the protest movement initiated by him.

Aleema made these remarks after a visit to Adiala Jail, during which she and her sisters Uzma and Noreen Khan, along with party lawyers, were to meet Imran. However, Aleema was denied permission to meet with her brother.

Speaking to the media, Aleema said that Imran would lead the protest from behind bars. “Imran Khan has said that he will lead the protest movement. He is free while in jail but we are prisoners despite being outside,” she said.

She added that his sons, Suleman and Kasim, would join the movement in support of their father after visiting the United States.

Earlier, in May, Suleman and Kasim had publicly addressed their father’s imprisonment and called for international pressure on Pakistan to secure his release.

This was the first instance that the brothers spoke out about their father’s situation, despite being reportedly allowed contact with him weekly since November 2023. According to Imran’s sons, these calls were inconsistent and difficult to arrange.

In an interview with X (formerly Twitter) influencer Mario Nawfal, the brothers explained why they decided to break their silence.

“We’ve gone through the legal routes. We’ve gone through every route that we thought would potentially get him out. We never thought he would be in there a fraction of how long he’s been in there. And it’s only getting worse. And so, we’ve somewhat run out of those options. And now we’ve decided the only route of taking action is to come and speak publicly,” said Kasim.

“What we want is international pressure on Pakistan right now because currently he’s living in inhumane conditions. They’re not giving him basic human rights… They’re not doing anywhere near enough. And what we want is global pressure,” he added.