‘Blatantly trying to kill him": Imran Khan's sons' explosive interview rattles Pakistan

Imran Khan's sons spoke in a Sky Sports interview during the second Test at Lords despite PCB reservationsThey claimed the Pakistan government is "trying to kill" Imran Khan through harsh prison conditionsImran Khan is reportedly isolated for over 23 hours daily in a small cell with worsening health

Imran Khan's sons Sulaiman and Kasim Khan had the entire world's focus as they featured in an interview with former England cricketer Michael Atherton during the Lunch break of the second Test at Lord's. Despite the Pakistan Cricket Board's reservations about the interview, Sky Sports went ahead with the scheduled broadcast after the end of the first session on Thursday. In the interview, Imran Khan's sons spoke their hearts out, highlighting that the Pakistan government is trying to kill their father.

A couple of letters have been sent to the Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif over Imran Khan's worsening health in prison. Several former cricket captains, including Atherton, have signed the letter, urging the authorities in Pakistan to give Imran a humane treatment.

Kasim, during the interview, said that several political prisoners have died in jail, and the Pakistan government is planning to do the same with his father.

"They are not even acting with any kind of strategy any more. It is not very clear what they are doing, just blatantly trying to kill him in there. Keep him in as long as possible, and silence him. The last time he was able to speak to our aunties and anyone else, he said the conditions have severely worsened recently. He has been relating it to other political prisoners who have been killed or who have died in prison. Right now, it is worse than ever, completely isolating him more than 23 hours a day in a cell," Kasim said in the interview.

"Right now, it's really crucial for us that he gets proper treatment. He had an eye patch on for the eye situation, seemed visibly stressed, and that is something that is very hard for us to imagine because he embodies a very calm, assured presence, every time I have ever seen him, including being at gunpoint. A car we were in was robbed, and he was the calmest person there, including the robbers," he added.

Imran Khan's sons also revealed that the country's former Prime Minister and legendary captain spends more than 23 hours a day alone in a small cell. They even claimed that the Pakistan authorities are refusing to give them visas over 'technical grounds'.

"We were cautiously optimistic. Our fears were confirmed when, instead of being taken to the private hospital, where he was meant to be taken, he was just taken to a government medical facility for a few hours, and then taken straight back to jail," said Sulaiman, Imran Khan's other son.

"In reality, it was an hour check-up by government officials who said, 'Great, he's OK', and then said we will now send him to the independent hospital, Shifa. Instead, they left all the doctors waiting, our auntie waiting, who is a doctor, and sent him straight back to jail," he added.

Since the interview has been released, the PCB has reportedly lodged a complaint with Sky Sports. In fact, the Pakistan team also reportedly refused to take the field in the post-Lunch session on Day 1, before being persuaded to continue by the ECB.