ISLAMABAD: Rumors of former prime minister Imran Khan’s death are being spread to gauge the public’s reaction, his sister Aleema Khanum alleged this week.
Khan’s family has demanded jail authorities provide evidence he is alive and healthy amid growing rumors about his death online, saying that they have been denied visits for weeks. The chief minister of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, a member of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, staged an overnight sit-in protest Thursday outside the central prison in Rawalpindi, where Khan is imprisoned, after being denied a meeting with the former premier.
The cricketer-turned-politician has been in jail since August 2023 on a slew of charges he says are politically motivated. Adiala Jail authorities have strongly denied rumors of his death, insisting that the 73-year-old politician remains inside the facility and is in good physical condition.
In an exclusive interview with Independent Urdu published on Saturday, Khanum said her sister Dr. Uzma Khan last met the former prime minister on Nov. 4. Since then, Khanum said the family has not received any reports of his condition from jail authorities. She said jail authorities had not entertained their request to allow a family member or lawyer to meet Khan even for a few minutes to verify whether he was healthy or not.
