Concerns have been mounting for the health and safety of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has been held in a Pakistani prison since 2023 on what his advocates across the country insist are trumped up charges in a highly political and politicized imprisonment.
The situation has now become dire, according to both his ex-wife Jemima Goldsmith and senior members of his party, the PTI.
Back in May, in an exclusive interview with Zeteo from behind bars, Khan said he was “confined to a death cell”. His conditions have, apparently, only worsened since then.
Zulfi Bukhari, a former cabinet member under Khan and currently his adviser on international affairs and the media, spoke to Mehdi and Zeteo subscribers in a Town Hall Q&A about Khan’s current state. According to Bukhari, the former prime minister has been without hot water and electricity, and has been kept on a 24-hour lockdown without time for daily exercise as he once was allowed. He also hasn’t been able to meet with his wife for nearly two weeks, Bukhari said. (According to his ex-wife Goldsmith, Khan also hasn’t been allowed to speak to their sons.) Bukhari added that one of Khan’s lawyers had recently been abducted as well.
Pakistani officials at the prison deny the allegations surrounding Khan’s imprisonment, and Zeteo could not independently confirm Bukhari’s news related to the recent abduction. However, there are growing fears that Khan’s life could be at risk. (There was an assassination attempt in 2022.)
“They made him into a messiah,” Bukhari tells Mehdi and the hundreds of paid subscribers who joined the live discussion. “He's become like the Pakistani Mandela in a way… I don't think they [the military] have the answer to how to suppress his popularity. And one of the ways to do that is, unfortunately, you know, an assassination, another assassination attempt.”
Watch the full discussion with Zulfi Bukhari above, which includes dozens of questions from Zeteo’s audience. They also discussed the role of Pakistan’s military and what Khan’s political party, PTI, is doing on the sidelines. As a reminder, paid subscribers are given exclusive access to Town Hall Q&As like this where they can ask questions of Mehdi and other special guests on a variety of topics.
Are you a paid subscriber yet? If so, you can also join the conversation in the comments below.
Could Pakistan’s Imran Khan Be Killed in Prison?