Imran Khan remains defiant despite nearly three years in jail, with his sons revealing that the former cricketer-turned-politician would “rather die in prison” than compromise on his principles.
Khan, who has been incarcerated since 2023, was sentenced late last year along with his wife to 17 years on corruption charges, allegations both have consistently denied. The 73-year-old led Pakistan from 2018 to 2022 before being ousted in a no-confidence vote amid tensions with the military establishment. Since then, he has faced multiple legal challenges.
According to a report in The Times by former England captain Mike Atherton, Khan's sons, Sulaiman Isa Khan and Kasim Khan, spoke to their father for the first time in months during a 28-minute call last weekend, their first contact since January.
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The conversation offered rare insight into Khan's physical and mental state.
“We asked how he is physically, but he's quite dismissive of that stuff. He said, ‘I'm doing OK,' and he said his eyesight is getting a little better,” Kasim said, adding that Khan appeared more concerned about his wife's condition.
“He said they know they are never going to break him… but when family and other people are involved, it gets tougher.”
Family members and legal representatives have earlier said Khan has lost most of the vision in his right eye.
Kasim also alleged restrictive prison conditions, claiming authorities were attempting to limit access to basic facilities.
“They just want to keep everything quiet… silently hemmed in and slowly whittle away any kind of strength from the movement,” he said, pointing to measures such as power outages and denial of reading material.
Despite the challenges, Khan's sons say the former cricket World Cup-winning captain has grown mentally stronger in custody, turning to meditation to cope.
“He's come so far mentally and spiritually… he sees this as a trial he has to go through,” Kasim noted, adding that prolonged blackouts initially proved “brutal” but eventually helped him develop resilience.
The brothers, who have not seen their father since 2022 and are awaiting visas to travel to Pakistan, said they have come to terms with the risks tied to his political career.
“I know this is his passion… he has said publicly that he'd rather die in prison than walk away from his principles,” Sulaiman said, reflecting on his father's long-standing commitment to politics despite personal cost.
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