'Imran Khan in a cell built for death,' former cricketer's son appeals to UN

Kasim Khan, son of former Pakistan prime minister and World Cup-winning skipper Imran Khan, made an emotional appeal at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on Thursday, urging the international community to intervene for his father’s release from prison.

The former cricketer has been behind bars since 2023 and was sentenced last year to 17 years in prison along with his wife on corruption charges, allegations both have strongly denied.

Addressing the council, Kasim alleged that his father is being held in solitary confinement in conditions meant for death-row inmates, warning that the treatment could amount to torture.

“My father has been in prison for nearly 1,000 days,” Kasim said in his speech at the UNHRC. “He is the primary target of a regime that treats dissent not as political disagreement, but as a crime to be crushed.”

He added that he has not seen his father for more than three years and claimed Imran is being kept in a cell “built for death-row inmates”.

Kasim’s remarks come amid reports that Imran has suffered significant vision loss in his right eye during imprisonment, raising fresh concerns over his health.

“I am deeply concerned by the alarming rise of intolerance and persecution in Pakistan,” Kasim told the council. “This is not neglect. It is a deliberate persecution designed to strip a human being of his dignity.”

He further accused Pakistani authorities of fostering a climate of fear, citing the expansion of blasphemy laws and the branding of dissenting citizens as terrorists.

“We ask this council and the OHCHR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights) to urge Pakistan to end this persecution immediately,” he said, calling for the release of Imran and all political prisoners.

Earlier in February, concerns over Imran’s prison conditions prompted a rare show of solidarity from the cricketing world.

A 14-member group of his former teammates and rivals, including Indian legends Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, formally appealed to the Pakistan government to ensure “fair and humane treatment” for the former captain.

The former all-rounder served as Pakistan’s prime minister from 2018 to 2022 before being ousted in a no-confidence vote amid tensions with the country’s powerful military establishment.

Before entering politics, he achieved legendary status in cricket by leading Pakistan to their maiden Cricket World Cup triumph in 1992.