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Suleiman Khan, the eldest son of jailed former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan, has urged Western governments to speak out against what he described as a crackdown on his family and supporters ahead of a planned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protest march.
Speaking to The Independent, the 29-year-old accused the authorities of detaining members of his family and hundreds of PTI activists in an attempt to intimidate them ahead of the September 27 march to Islamabad.
“The abduction of our family members, including women and children, in the middle of the night, with no reasons given was absolutely disgraceful, and further evidence that this is a fascist regime,” Suleiman said, according to The Independent. He also described his father’s treatment in prison as “appalling and illegal”.
Police recently detained Imran Khan’s sisters Aleema Khan, Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi, along with other relatives and hundreds of PTI workers, citing public-order concerns. Aleema Khan was ordered to be held for 30 days under Pakistan’s Maintenance of Public Order law.
Suleiman’s younger brother Kasim also criticised the authorities on X, saying that arresting family members and threatening protesters could not silence Pakistan’s population.
Amnesty International has criticised the pre-emptive arrests and called for the release of Imran Khan’s relatives and PTI workers, saying they should not be detained simply because of their political affiliation or family ties.
The government has vowed to prevent the PTI march from reaching Islamabad. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has warned party leaders against proceeding, while authorities have placed shipping containers on roads and increased security deployments in and around the capital. More than 22,000 security personnel are expected to be deployed in Islamabad, with additional forces in Attock and neighbouring Rawalpindi.
PTI leader Zulfiqar Ali Bukhari said the party remained fully prepared for the protest and that it could continue for several days.
Imran Khan, 73, has been in prison since August 2023. He is serving a 14-year sentence in a corruption case and a separate 17-year sentence related to state gifts, according to The Independent. His party and family have raised concerns about his health, particularly serious problems affecting his right eye. The government has rejected allegations that he is being mistreated.
Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered his transfer to a private hospital in August, but authorities briefly took him to a government hospital before returning him to prison, prompting PTI to seek contempt proceedings.
