Imran Khan’s disappearance was a ‘death test run’ to gauge public reaction, claims sister

1. Asia
2. South Asia

In an exclusive interview with Independent Urdu, Aleema Khan says family had previously been told there was a plan to ‘eliminate’ the former Pakistani premier

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Weeks of speculation over the well-being of jailed former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan finally came to an end this week after one of his sisters was allowed to see him in prison.

Now, another sister Aleema Khan has spoken out to say that she believes the incident was a deliberate “test run” to gauge public reaction to rumours of the popular political leader’s death.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Independent Urdu on Saturday, she suggested the authorities were themselves behind reports that Khan had been killed behind bars.

Rumours of Khan’s death or surreptitious relocation circulated for weeks on social media in Pakistan as his family and legal team were denied access to visit him, without a reason being provided. The government and jail officials eventually insisted he was alive and well, but not before digitally mocked-up images of his corpse had spread online.

On Tuesday, Khan’s sister Uzma Khan was finally allowed to meet him in Adiala Jail, where she said he was well but angry at being held for extended periods in solitary confinement. Khan, who was ousted as prime minister in 2022, has been convicted or charged in multiple cases which he and his party say are designed to keep him from running for office again.

Khan’s party told The Independent they did not believe the death rumours, and instead claimed the authorities wanted to deny him the opportunity to speak out in criticism of recent constitutional changes that have enshrined Field Marshall Asim Munir as Pakistan’s most powerful military leader in decades, extending his term and handing him lifetime immunity from prosecution.

Speaking before Khan’s well-being was verified, Aleema Khan ascribed another motivation to the episode. “Someone told us that they are doing a test run, [by spreading news about Khan’s death], they are doing a test run to see what people’s reaction would be,” she said.

“Because this is how they think. They do a test run to assess. If there is no reaction from the public, or if the reaction is manageable, then they might really do something to him.”

Aleema Khan also revealed that about a year ago, her family received a message: “There is a plan to eliminate Imran Khan in two months.”

She confirmed in the interview with Qurratul Ain Shirazi of Independent Urdu that her brother was being held in complete isolation: “Other than prison guards and staff, he cannot meet any other human.

“The real hunger Imran Khan has, that is what they torture him with. And that is his hunger for books. They do not allow Imran access to his books,” she said.

“There are two things Imran Khan asks the judge for. Every time Imran Khan stands before the judge, he asks for these two things. [He says] ‘Let me speak to my children’ which I think they have allowed only three or four times in the past year, even though it should be every week. He only ever asks the judge to let him speak to his children, or to let him have his books.”

Aleema Khan described the difficulties faced by Imran Khan’s sons Kasim and Sulaiman Khan in trying to travel to Pakistan: “We were told that it would be better [for them] to apply for a visa to travel with their British passports, and that the visa would be issued within an hour. They applied for these visas in July. The visas that were supposed to be issued within an hour, they [the authorities] still haven’t even acknowledged receipt of their application.”

In July, Kasim and Sulaiman also travelled to the United States to meet with officials from the Trump administration. Aleema Khan explained that her nephews acted out of necessity: “His children are [speaking to US officials] because if you don’t allow them to enter Pakistan, then where else should they go? They can only voice their concerns in the UK or in the USA.”

When asked whether she thought President Trump could have a role in bringing about a resolution, Khan was doubtful: “People speak of Trump. Well I say that above all, Pakistanis will take action for their own country.”

Khan also questioned the lack of intervention from the British government or any Commonwealth state: “We haven’t heard any Commonwealth state or the British government speak out about this and urge Pakistan to uphold certain principles as a Commonwealth member. And that Pakistan must follow these principles.”

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