Sulaiman Khan, son of Pakistan's jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, has criticised Islamabad's diplomatic push to mediate between the United States and Iran, calling it an attempt to “whitewash” its international image.
In an interview with Channel 4, Sulaiman said Pakistan's role in facilitating ceasefire talks was aimed at diverting global attention from alleged human rights violations and what he described as “insults to democracy” under the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
“I think he would definitely applaud their efforts to mediate. But partially I think it's an attempt to whitewash their image on the world stage, and they are doing a good job, to distract from the human rights abuses and the insults to the democracy that they have been continuing for the last few days,” he said.
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The remarks come as Pakistan positions itself as a key intermediary in US-Iran engagement, even as domestic concerns mount over governance, a struggling economy and regional tensions, including with Afghanistan.
Sulaiman's comments also follow fresh concerns over Imran Khan's health in custody. His sons have sought permission to visit him after Pakistan's Supreme Court flagged serious vision loss in his right eye.
Separately, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and Imran Khan have called for a judicial probe into alleged extrajudicial killings in Punjab. According to PTI, an HRCP official claimed that over 1,000 suspects were killed in purported “staged encounters” by the Crime Control Department (CCD) over the past year.
“The CCD appears to be following a deliberate policy of staging police encounters that result in extrajudicial killings,” the HRCP official said.
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Earlier, speaking to ITV, Sulaiman said his father had prioritised regional peace efforts over domestic politics, even calling off a planned protest during the talks.
Imran Khan, a former World Cup-winning cricketer-turned-politician and founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, has been in custody since August 2023 and faces multiple charges. According to ITV News, he has spent extended periods in solitary confinement, with his sons alleging inhumane treatment during nearly 1,000 days of detention.
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