Sister of former Pakistani leader Imran Khan says he is in good health, quelling rumors

ISLAMABAD (AP) – Pakistan’s imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan is in good health but is largely being kept under solitary conditions, one of his sisters said Tuesday after authorities allowed her the first family visit in weeks.

Uzma Khan’s remarks appeared aimed at reassuring Khan’s millions of supporters in Pakistan and abroad after concerns were raised over his wellbeing – and even whether he was still alive – though authorities had dismissed any rumors about his condition as baseless.

Khan, 73, has been serving multiple prison terms since 2023 on convictions for corruption and other charges that the former cricket star and his supporters have alleged are aimed at blocking his political career. His wife, Bushra Bibi, also has been convicted of graft and is serving time in the same prison, but they are not allowed to see each other except when they appear in court, his supporters have said.

Speaking to reporters in the city of Rawalpindi where he is imprisoned, Uzma Khan said she found her brother “perfectly in good health” but furious over largely solitary conditions in the prison.

“When I met with him, he was very angry,” she said, quoting him as saying that the “mental torture” of his solitary conditions is “worse than physical abuse.”

Supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party had gathered outside the Adiala prison since early Tuesday, anxious to hear news about Khan, who had received no visits since Nov. 4. They waited until his sister emerged from the facility to make her brief statement.

Authorities deployed hundreds of officers around the prison and issued a ban on rallies there and in Islamabad.

Khan’s spokesperson Zulfiquar Bukhari said only one sister was allowed a brief meeting. He said Khan’s family and legal team should be allowed regular meetings, and denounced restrictions on access to Khan as “mental torture.”

Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote in April 2022 and his party is in opposition in the parliament. Khan and his party often allege that its mandate was stolen in the 2024 parliamentary elections, which they say were rigged in favor of the current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, a charge the government denies.

Khan has been convicted of several charges ranging from corruption to revealing state secrets, and is serving multiple prison terms concurrently, meaning he serves only the longest term.