Jemima Goldsmith, the former wife of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former prime minister Imran Khan, has questioned British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband over what she described as the UK government’s silence on the treatment of the former Pakistani premier.
In a statement posted on X on Monday, Goldsmith alleged that Imran Khan has been held in solitary confinement for an extended period and has been denied regular contact with his family.
“Three years of increasingly punitive treatment” have been imposed on the father of her two sons and Pakistan’s former prime minister, Goldsmith claimed, alleging that the conditions of his detention amount to treatment comparable to torture and could have serious consequences for his physical and mental health.
She alleged that Khan has spent three years in solitary confinement and has been denied access to family visits, books, lawyers and doctors for around 10 months.
Goldsmith cited the United Nations’ Nelson Mandela Rules, which state that prolonged solitary confinement exceeding 15 consecutive days is prohibited and may constitute torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.
She also referred to recent Supreme Court orders concerning Khan’s medical treatment and access to his family, alleging that the directives have not been implemented.
According to Goldsmith, the Supreme Court ordered that Khan be provided comprehensive medical care, access to his personal physician, regular meetings with family members and telephone contact with his sons twice a week.
Khan was briefly transferred to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad last week for a medical examination before being moved back to Adiala Jail. His family and lawyers objected to the transfer, saying that under the court’s order he was supposed to be taken to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad.
Goldsmith argued that the matter could no longer be viewed merely as a Pakistani political dispute, describing it instead as a “serious human rights situation.”
She also highlighted Khan’s longstanding links with Britain, noting that he studied at Oxford University, captained the university’s cricket team and played county cricket in England.
Goldsmith further referred to Khan’s philanthropic work in Pakistan, including the establishment of a cancer hospital and a university.
She said her two sons with Khan, Sulaiman and Qasim, are British citizens and have been unable to visit their father.
Goldsmith’s comments come as Khan remains incarcerated in Pakistan amid multiple legal cases. The allegations regarding his detention conditions and the implementation of court orders remain contested, with the relevant authorities yet to publicly respond to all of the claims outlined in her statement.
