Imran Khan’s sons meet Trump aide in US to rally support for jailed father

The sons of incarcerated former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan have met with a senior aide to U.S. President Donald Trump in California, kicking off a global campaign calling for their father’s release from prison.

Richard Grenell, the U.S. special presidential envoy for special missions and a longtime Trump ally, posted on social media on Wednesday that he had met with Sulaiman Khan, 28, and Kasim Khan, 26, and voiced support for their efforts.

“There are millions of people around the world who are sick of political prosecutions. You are not alone,” Grenell wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, urging the brothers to “stay strong.”

The two sons, British nationals, publicly spoke out for the first time in May over their father’s imprisonment, which began in August 2023. Imran Khan is currently held at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail on a conviction in a £190 million corruption case. He also faces several pending charges under Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act related to violent protests that erupted on May 9, 2023, after his initial arrest.

Earlier this month, Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, said the brothers would travel to the United States to raise awareness about what she described as injustices against their father. She said they would return to Pakistan to take part in a protest campaign being organized by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.

Nationwide protest

The international campaign by Khan’s family comes ahead of a planned nationwide protest movement, which Imran Khan has called to peak on August 5, marking two years since his imprisonment. The PTI leadership says the charges are politically motivated.

Aleema Khan, speaking outside Adiala Jail on July 8, said the family fully backs the protests and confirmed the sons would join once they return from the United States.

Quoting the former premier, she said, “Anyone unable to bear the weight of this struggle should step aside.”

Aleema described her brother’s prison conditions as harsh, saying he is held in solitary confinement without access to television, newspapers, books, or medical care. “Even his books are locked in the deputy superintendent’s office, and he hasn’t seen his doctor in over ten months,” she said.

She accused ruling party leader and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz of orchestrating Khan’s mistreatment and added that former First Lady Bushra Bibi is also in solitary confinement. Aleema said she has been repeatedly denied visitation rights.

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan also confirmed to Nukta that the party will heed Khan’s call for nationwide protests. While he said the party was “fully prepared,” he declined to confirm whether Khan’s sons would participate directly.

Gohar also said the PTI had not yet decided who would manage the protests on the ground but reiterated that Khan would lead “from jail.”

Khan had initially delayed the movement, citing rising global tensions following the Iran-Israel standoff.

On June 3, he appointed opposition leader Omar Ayub to lead the campaign and directed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur to focus on governance. The party later opted for decentralized protests across Pakistan.