“Imran Khan is kept in isolation, literally in the dark,” says the ex-wife

The ex-wife of Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan on Tuesday called for his immediate release, citing “serious and disturbing” reports of his treatment in prison.

Jemima Goldsmith said Pakistani authorities have stopped all visits from his family and lawyers, postponed court hearings and prevented him from calling his two sons since early September.

The electricity in his cell was turned off and he was no longer allowed to leave anytime while the prison chef was sent on leave, she wrote in a lengthy post on social media platform X.

“Now he is completely isolated, in isolation, literally in the dark, no contact with the outside world,” Goldsmith, who was married to the former Pakistan cricket team captain from 1995 to 2004.

Over the past few weeks there have been serious and disturbing developments regarding the treatment of my sons’ father, Imran Khan, in prison. Pakistani authorities have stopped all visits to him from his family and lawyers. They also postponed all court hearings. In addition…

— Jemima Goldsmith (@Jemima_Khan) October 15, 2024

The couple have two sons, Suleiman and Kasim, who live in London.

A panel of UN experts in July criticized Pakistan for arbitrarily detaining Khan in violation of international law to prevent him from running for political office.

Khan, 72, served as Pakistan’s prime minister from 2018 to 2022 and has been embroiled in more than 200 court cases since he was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote that he claims was orchestrated by the country’s powerful generals .

He has been detained since August last year and is barred from running for office. He has since applied to become the next chancellor of Britain’s Oxford University.

Goldsmith said Khan’s family was also targeted, and his sisters and nephew were arrested and imprisoned illegally, while she faced rape and death threats from political opponents of her ex-husband.

The release of Khan, his nephew and sisters, plus re-establishment of contact with his sons, will provide “first-hand assurance that he is OK and not abused,” she added.

“I disagree with IK on many political issues,” she wrote. “But this is not about politics – it is about the father of my children, his human rights and international law.