Jemima Goldsmith, former wife of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, has appealed to the UK government to break its silence regarding the alleged mistreatment of her ex-husband. She directly addressed UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, questioning how much longer Britain will remain silent on the issue.
Imran Khan’s family and political party have consistently expressed worries about his health condition. Last week, Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered his transfer from Adiala jail to a private hospital. However, authorities moved him instead to Pims, a public hospital, citing security concerns due to the crowd gathered outside. Subsequently, after a medical board cleared him, he was returned to Adiala jail in Rawalpindi.
The 73-year-old former cricketer and politician has been imprisoned since August 2023, convicted in multiple cases that he and his party claim are politically motivated following his removal from office in 2022. Jemima, who shares two sons, Kasim Khan and Suleiman Khan, with Imran, highlighted that he has been subjected to harsh treatment by his political adversaries for three years.
She asserted that Imran Khan has endured three years of solitary confinement and that for nearly ten months his family has been denied contact with him. He has reportedly been deprived of basic human rights, including access to books, legal counsel, and medical care. Jemima emphasized that international human rights standards, particularly the UN’s Nelson Mandela Rules, prohibit solitary confinement beyond 15 consecutive days, classifying it as torture. She stressed that Imran’s confinement far exceeds this limit.
In a significant development, the Supreme Court has mandated comprehensive medical treatment for Imran, access to his personal physician, regular family visits, and twice-weekly phone calls with his sons. Nevertheless, these orders are reportedly being ignored. Jemima described the situation as a human rights emergency that transcends Pakistani politics.
She reminded the UK government of Imran Khan’s longstanding connections to Britain, noting his education at Oxford University, where he captained the cricket team, and his years playing county cricket in England. His charitable work, including establishing Pakistan’s only free cancer hospital and a university, has also been internationally recognized.
Jemima concluded by urging the UK government to publicly and unequivocally demand that Pakistan comply with its Supreme Court’s directives, restore Imran Khan’s medical care, allow family contact, end his prolonged isolation, and uphold his fundamental human rights.
