By Zahid Shaha

ISLAMABAD - A brewing controversy over former Prime Minister Imran Khan's sons' ability to visit their ailing father in prison has exposed sharp contradictions within Pakistan's government, with two senior ministers offering conflicting statements while the opposition accuses authorities of using legal technicalities to delay family reunions.

The dispute highlights the increasingly personal nature of Pakistan's political feud, as Khan has been incarcerated at Adiala Jail since May 2023, with his family alleging deliberate judicial delays and medical neglect.

Deputy Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry struck an accommodating tone earlier this week, telling reporters that Khan's sons—Sulaiman and Qasim Khan, who reside in the United Kingdom—would be granted visas within hours of applying.

"If they apply for visas, we will grant them within hours," Chaudhry stated, suggesting the government had no objection to the sons visiting their father.

But Information Minister Attaullah Tarar quickly contradicted his cabinet colleague, asserting that Khan's sons should travel on their NICOP (National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis)—essentially arguing they do not require visas at all as Pakistani citizens.

The discrepancy left observers confused about the government's actual position and prompted a furious response from Khan's family.

- 'Who Is He to Decide How They Travel?'

Aleema Khan, Imran Khan's sister, released a detailed rebuttal, accusing ministers of creating obstacles while pretending to facilitate.

"First, the Govt Ministers sit on TV shows saying that Sulaiman and Kasim will be granted visas if they apply, claiming they have not applied for visas to visit Pakistan," she said.

"When we provided their tracking numbers for visa applications, this man (Atta Tarar) says they should travel on their NICOP. Who is he to decide how they travel to Pakistan? Does this Govt Minister even realize that he has made a statement which is against the law of Pakistan?"

Aleema Khan emphasized that Pakistani law grants every citizen the right to travel either by NICOP or on valid visas—meaning the government has no authority to dictate which document Khan's sons use.

Sulaiman Khan, the former premier's elder son, posted on X earlier this month expressing his anguish: "My father hasn't seen me and my brother for almost 3 years. We were told the only thing preventing us from seeing him was our Pakistani visas. We applied for them in Feb, still awaiting. We just want to see our father. Please issue us our visas."

The family's frustration has been compounded by the government's refusal to transfer Imran Khan to Shifa International Hospital despite medical reports submitted to the Supreme Court indicating he has lost 85 percent of vision in one eye.

Khan has been imprisoned since May 2023, and his family alleges that bail cases pending before the Islamabad High Court are deliberately not being fixed for hearing—a delay they describe as unprecedented in Pakistan's judicial history.

- 'The Judges Should Be Ashamed'

Khan's party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), released a statement quoting the former prime minister in unusually sharp language directed at the judiciary:

"The judges in this country should be ashamed of themselves. Time and time again we have gone to the judiciary. But they have sold their souls for their paid personal privileges. They have sold their integrity. They know they cannot break me, so they turn to my wife."

Khan's wife, Bushra Bibi, remains in custody alongside her husband. According to the PTI statement, she spends "24 hours a day in isolation, except for 30 minutes with me per week—and even that is often ignored."

Khan framed the treatment as contrary to Islamic principles: "It is unIslamic to harm women, children, and the elderly, and their motives are plain and clear."

- International Concern

Human rights lawyer Eric Lewis, writing recently in the Independent about Khan's detention, argued for international intervention:

"Imran Khan should not be medically neglected and left to die in prison. His children should not be deprived of their father. That is simple humanity."

Lewis suggested Khan's release serves broader strategic interests: "At a time of massive regional conflict, he retains the credibility to promote dialogue and build off-ramps before likely escalations from which there may be no turning back for the region—or for the global economy."

"Can the fate of one man make a difference in a time of global turmoil? In the unique case of Imran Khan, the answer is yes. The world community should unite to save him."

Opposition leader Omar Ayub Khan highlighted deteriorating conditions for both Khan and his wife.

"Bushra Bibi sahiba is being denied access to medical facilities that are guaranteed to all prisoners," Ayub posted on X. "She is a political prisoner. She is suffering from an ailment that has affected her eyesight. She must be granted access to proper health facilities and this political victimization should end."

The former opposition leader also reiterated that Imran Khan "has been suffering from an eye ailment for three months, with 85 percent vision loss, yet he is not being provided proper treatment."

- A Test of Pakistan's Justice System

As the government's ministers contradict each other and Khan's sons await visas they applied for in February, the case has become emblematic of broader concerns about Pakistan's judicial system and political accountability.

For Sulaiman and Qasim Khan, the issue is simple: they want to see their father. For the government, the question is whether it can reconcile its ministers' competing statements with Pakistan's laws guaranteeing citizens the right to travel.

As one observer noted: "When ministers can't agree on basic facts -- whether visas are required, whether applications have been submitted, whether medical reports exist -- it raises the question: what exactly is being hidden behind the contradictions?"