Hanif Abbasi warns Imran Khan's 'foreigner' sons against breaking Pakistan laws

LONDON: Federal Railways Minister and senior PML-N leader Hanif Abbasi warned former PM Imran Khan’s sons that they will face serious state action if they break Pakistan’s laws during their possible visit to Pakistan to meet their father in jail and to join the movement for his release.

In London for a short visit, Hanif Abbasi issued a strong warning to Suleman Khan and Kasim Khan during an interview with Geo News, saying: “I have no issue with their visit to Pakistan, they have a legal right to meet their father. They are welcome but they will not be allowed to break Pakistanis laws. They are foreigners and will be treated as such. There will be action against them beyond just a simple arrest, the action will be much more than just an arrest if they breach Pakistani laws which prohibit the visitors and foreigners from taking part in local politics.”

Hanif Abbasi said Imran Khan and Jemima Goldsmith’s sons will be treated as “foreigners” when they come to Pakistan and will not be allowed to create anarchy or do politics.

The Railways Minister said: “Pakistan law doesn’t allow a foreigner to run a movement on Pakistani soil. There is a difference between them and overseas Pakistanis. I believe Jemima will not allow them to visit Pakistan. They are welcome if they want to visit Pakistan but under terms and conditions applied to foreigners. Pakistan is going up and has made a strong impact after recent victories, under the leadership of PM Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir. We will not allow anyone to create anarchy and chaos in Pakistan under any guise. The fact that PTI wants Khan’s son to come to Pakistan and lead the movement means PTI has failed.”

Hanif Abbasi said that there is no deal on the table for Imran Khan. “He’s frustrated in jail. He quarrels with the jail staff daily. He has lost trust of the state after conspiring against it.”

Hanif Abbasi distances himself from those PML-N leaders who have said Khan has faced the jail term with bravery. “I disagree. Those who say so do so for ratings. Imran Khan has no choice but to be in the situation where he is today. He has no options but to stay in jail. He is there against his wishes. He is desperate to make a deal and come out but there is no deal for him.”

Last week, Khan’s sister Aleema Khan told reporters in Rawalpindi that his sons, Sulaiman and Kasim, had decided to travel from the United Kingdom (UK) to the US and would eventually arrive in Pakistan to play their role in the PTI’s protest campaign against the government.

“Firstly, they are going to America and they’re telling all their friends, ‘And we will go and tell them [US administration] about the human rights [situation] and what injustice is being done to their father [in Pakistan]’,” Aleema said.

“Secondly, Sulaiman [and] Qasim have said, ‘After that, we will come to Pakistan.’ And they want to play their part in the [protest] movement.”

Jemima Goldsmith strongly criticised the Pakistani government for threatening to deny her sons any contact with their father, former prime minister Imran Khan, who remains in prison for nearly two years.

Her statement followed remarks by senior government officials suggesting that Khan’s sons could be arrested if they enter Pakistan and participate in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protest, scheduled for later this month or the next.

“My children aren’t allowed to speak on the phone to their father Imran Khan. He has been in solitary confinement in prison for nearly 2 years,” Jemima posted on X.

“Pakistan’s government has now said if they go there to try to see him, they too will be arrested and put behind bars. This doesn’t happen in a democracy or a functioning state. This isn’t politics. It’s a personal vendetta.”

Kasim Khan took to his ‘X’ account to express his concern over Imran’s condition in the jail. He wrote, “My father, former prime minister Imran Khan, has now spent over 700 days in prison -- held in solitary confinement. He is denied access to his lawyers, not allowed visits from his family, fully cut off from us (his children), and even his personal doctor is refused entry. This is not justice. It is a deliberate attempt to isolate and break a man who stands for rule of law, democracy and Pakistan”.