Imran Khan with his former brother-in-law Zac Goldsmith outside the Kingston Mosque, London, in 2009. PHOTO: Newsquest SL
Zac Goldsmith, a former UK Foreign Office minister and former brother-in-law of PTI founder Imran Khan, has raised concerns in the UK parliament over Khan’s treatment in prison, urging the British government to ensure he receives fair treatment amid reports of his deteriorating health.
Speaking during a motion tabled by Labour’s Baroness Alexander of Cleveden, Goldsmith said that while Khan’s case was Pakistan’s internal matter, the denial of basic human rights could not be ignored.
The motion stressed that the right to medical treatment and a fair trial were fundamental and must be respected.
Goldsmith said: “We understand that Imran Khan has been denied access to lawyers. He has been denied access to his family, including his two children and my nephews,” and that “he has been denied access even to doctors. We understand that he has spent much of his time in prison, in solitary confinement, and that his health is rapidly deteriorating.”
He also raised the possibility of reviewing UK aid to Pakistan.
“Pakistan is often at the top of the UK’s aid list until the UK government demonstrates a clear and unequivocal commitment to the Commonwealth Charter it signed, which commits it to an independent judiciary and the rule of law,” he said.
Khan has been detained since August 2023 and is serving time in Adiala jail in a £190 million corruption case. He also faces pending lawsuits under the Anti-Terrorism Law in connection with the May 9, 2023 protests.
A day earlier, Khan’s sister Aleema Khan criticized the PTI leadership for what she described as inaction on her brother’s release and health.
“The party seems relaxed, as if the founder’s treatment has already been completed. We do not see any action from the PTI on its health issues. Enough is enough: anyone who cannot bear the weight of the founder’s narrative should step aside,” he said while speaking to reporters outside the Islamabad High Court.
