Lahore: Pakistan’s former Prime Minister and World Cup-winning captain Imran Khan has been in prison since 2023. Late last year, he and his wife were sentenced to 17 years in a corruption case, allegations both have denied.

Khan served as Prime Minister from 2018 until 2022, when he was removed from office through a no-confidence vote amid a political crisis involving tensions between his administration and Pakistan’s powerful military establishment. Since then, he has been entangled in several legal proceedings related to corruption and other charges.

Health concerns raised by family

According to his family and legal representatives, the 73-year-old has reportedly lost much of the vision in his right eye.

A report in The Times by former England cricket captain Mike Atherton revealed that Khan’s sons from his marriage to Jemima Goldsmith, Sulaiman Isa Khan and Kasim Khan, were able to speak with him last weekend for the first time since January. The conversation is said to have lasted 28 minutes, with the sons noting that their father remains mentally strong.

‘He says he is doing ok’

Kasim Khan shared details of the exchange, saying, “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, so I took that as a positive.

He was especially concerned this time about his wife; apparently her conditions are just as bad as his. He said they know they are never going to break him and he feels that he can handle anything, but when family and other people are involved, it gets tougher.”

Allegations about prison conditions

Kasim also alleged that authorities were attempting to limit attention on his father’s situation. “What they fear, I think, is public attention; they just want to keep everything quiet, keep them silently hemmed in and slowly whittle away any kind of strength from the movement. You can see that in their petty tactics when people challenge the conditions Imran is in. They try to silently remove small liberties, like not allowing new books or turning off the power in the cell.”

Meditation and mental strength in confinement

He added that the experience of imprisonment has strengthened Khan mentally, with the former leader turning to meditation.

“He's come so far mentally and spiritually that I think, in his mind, he sees this as a trial he has to go through. I don't think he's affected the way he would have been even, say, 10 years ago. He's in a place where he thinks that if it has happened this way, then that is how it has to happen, despite how harsh and brutal the conditions are and how detrimental they are to his physical well-being,” Kasim said.

Recalling difficult moments, he mentioned, “There would be these blackouts. He'd say the first two days were brutal, but after that he just got into this kind of meditative state and learned how to meditate and go inside himself. Funnily enough, these torture tactics have taught him how to stay in there for longer.”

Family awaits reunion

Khan’s sons have not met him since 2022 and are currently awaiting visas to travel to Pakistan.

Sulaiman Khan reflected on the risks his father has faced, stating, “He's already had a few close shaves, like when he was shot a few years ago. I wouldn't say you ever get used to it, but you build a bit of a thick skin for that kind of thing. I wouldn't say we've been preparing for it, but I know this is his passion and he has said publicly that he'd rather die in prison than walk away from his principles.”

He also spoke about his earlier feelings towards his father’s political career. “I used to hate him being in politics when I was younger. I'd wish he'd do cricket analysis or something. I remember when he had a stand-off with a politician in Karachi, a mafia sort of character. I would beg him to get out of politics, but he'd laugh it off, and I basically came to realise that he wouldn't be happy if he wasn't doing politics or something that he felt was really impactful and risky. So I've gotten used to it as I've grown older,” he said.