Information Minister says phone call would be arranged between Imran and his children for Eid
A combined photo of Kasim Khan (left), Information Minister Attaullah Tarar (center) and Sulaiman Khan. Photos: Archive
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Wednesday said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s children do not need visas to visit Pakistan and join their father, who is currently in prison.
His statement came in response to an appeal by Imran’s ex-wife Jemima Goldsmith to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, urging the government to allow Kasim Khan and Sulaiman Khan to visit their father in jail.
“Your children can visit Pakistan with their NICOP cards as Pakistani citizens, for which a visa is not required. However, they will fully comply with the laws of Pakistan during their stay,” he said in a post on unknown.
Furthermore, Tarar confirmed that a phone call would be arranged between Imran and his children for Eid, following the same procedure as in previous instances.
Imran Khan’s phone call will be arranged on Eid day with his children, as was also done in the past.
Your children can visit Pakistan with their NICOP cards as Pakistani citizens for whom visa is not required. However, they will fully comply with the laws of Pakistan…
– Attaullah Tarar (@TararAttaullah) March 18, 2026
In her appeal, Jemima said: “My sons Sulaiman and Kasim applied for visas in January (again…) so they could visit their father Imran Khan in Pakistan. The Pakistan consulate states that online visa processing normally takes 7-10 business days. Now it has been 60 days.”
Jemima said this was despite a public promise that her children would be able to safely travel to Pakistan to see their father after four years, assurances that Defense Minister Khawaja Asif had given to British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan and the prime minister’s spokesman Mosharraf Zaidi had relayed to News from heaven presenter Yalda Hakim.
“They are not allowed to talk to him on the phone or send him a letter. They have not seen him since 2022, after he was shot in an assassination attempt,” he said.
Read more: Jemima directly appeals to Prime Minister Shehbaz to allow her children to meet Imran Khan
Imran has been jailed since August 2023 and is currently serving a sentence in Adiala Jail in a £190 million corruption case. Additionally, he faces pending lawsuits under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) related to the May 9, 2023 protests.
Kasim and Sulaiman have not seen their father since November 2022, after he survived an assassination attempt. They said they applied for visas in January but have not yet received a response.
Kasim had accused the government last month of deliberately refusing to process his and his brother’s visas to prevent the brothers from meeting their father. He said denying treatment to a prisoner was cruel and denying his children the right to see him was collective punishment.
Last year, Imran’s sister Aleema Khan told reporters that the brothers would take part in a protest movement planned for August 5, 2025.
Later, it was reported that Imran had declared that his children would not come to Pakistan to join the protest. The brothers subsequently held meetings with key people in the United States.
