For nearly a month, family members of Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister, Imran Khan, 73, say they were barred from seeing him, prompting protests and causing concerns about his health.
After his sister, Uzma Khanum, finally visited him at Adiala jail, the central jail in Pakistan’s Rawalpindi, close to the capital, Islamabad, on Tuesday this week, however, she said Khan’s health appeared to be good.
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Still, she said, the conditions in which he is being held are poor and that he has described his imprisonment as “mental torture”.
Khan is currently serving lengthy prison sentences following convictions on corruption charges.
Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, is also serving a seven-year term for receiving land bribes in one of these corruption cases – the al-Qadir Trust case. Khan and Bibi have denied all of the charges against them.
Here is what we know about why visits to Khan have been blocked.
Why is Khan in jail?
Khan, who was prime minister of Pakistan from 2018 to 2022, has been in prison since his arrest in August 2023 on corruption charges. He is serving prison sentences following a slew of legal cases, including:
Al-Qadir Trust case: Khan and his wife were accused of accepting land worth 7 billion rupees ($25.12m) as a bribe from a real estate developer in exchange for illegal favours, via a trust called al-Qadir, which was established in 2018. In January 2025, Khan was sentenced by an Islamabad accountability court to 14 years in prison and Bibi to seven years, after being found guilty.
After his sister, Uzma Khanum, finally visited him at Adiala jail, the central jail in Pakistan’s Rawalpindi, close to the capital, Islamabad, on Tuesday this week, however, she said Khan’s health appeared to be good.
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list of 4 items
list 1 of 4
What led to leader Imran Khan’s downfall in Pakistan?
list 2 of 4
Pakistan court suspends Imran Khan’s prison sentence in state gifts case
list 3 of 4
Imran Khan’s ‘life under threat’ in jail, says Pakistan ex-PM’s party
list 4 of 4
Ex-PM Imran Khan healthy but cut off in Pakistan jail, sister says
end of list
Still, she said, the conditions in which he is being held are poor and that he has described his imprisonment as “mental torture”.
Khan is currently serving lengthy prison sentences following convictions on corruption charges.
Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, is also serving a seven-year term for receiving land bribes in one of these corruption cases – the al-Qadir Trust case. Khan and Bibi have denied all of the charges against them.
Here is what we know about why visits to Khan have been blocked.
Why is Khan in jail?
Khan, who was prime minister of Pakistan from 2018 to 2022, has been in prison since his arrest in August 2023 on corruption charges. He is serving prison sentences following a slew of legal cases, including:
Al-Qadir Trust case: Khan and his wife were accused of accepting land worth 7 billion rupees ($25.12m) as a bribe from a real estate developer in exchange for illegal favours, via a trust called al-Qadir, which was established in 2018. In January 2025, Khan was sentenced by an Islamabad accountability court to 14 years in prison and Bibi to seven years, after being found guilty.