ISLAMABAD: Jemima Goldsmith, the former wife of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, has urged the British government to intervene over what she described as the alleged mistreatment of the former prime minister in Pakistan.
In a post on X, Jemima addressed British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, asking how much longer Britain would remain silent over the situation.
Jemima, who shares two sons with Imran Khan, said the former prime minister had faced what she described as severe treatment by his political opponents during his imprisonment.
She claimed that Imran had spent three years in solitary confinement and that his family had been denied contact with him for nearly 10 months. She also alleged that he had been deprived of regular access to books, lawyers and doctors.
Jemima referred to international human rights standards and the United Nations’ Nelson Mandela Rules, arguing that prolonged solitary confinement is prohibited.
Her comments came after the Supreme Court directed authorities to provide Imran Khan with medical treatment, access to his personal doctor, regular family visits and telephone contact with his sons.
However, according to Jemima, those directives were not being fully implemented. She argued that the matter had therefore moved beyond Pakistan’s political dispute and had become a human rights concern.
Imran Khan, 73, has been imprisoned in Rawalpindi since August 2023 after being convicted in several cases. He and PTI have repeatedly described the cases against him as politically motivated.
The former prime minister was recently taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences for a medical examination before being returned to Adiala Jail after a medical board assessed his condition.
Jemima also highlighted Imran Khan’s longstanding connections with Britain. She noted that he studied at Oxford University, captained the university’s cricket team and played county cricket in England for several years.
She also referred to his charitable work in Pakistan, including the establishment of a cancer hospital and a university.
Jemima said she had repeatedly asked the British government to intervene and urged it to publicly call for compliance with Pakistan’s Supreme Court orders, restoration of medical access, family contact and an end to what she described as prolonged isolation.
