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Goldsmith Calls Detention a “Human-Rights Emergency”
Jemima Goldsmith, ex-wife of former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, has urged British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband to publicly intervene over what she described as a “human-rights emergency” surrounding Khan’s detention in Pakistan .
In a post on X on Monday, Goldsmith asked how much longer Britain would remain silent over the former premier’s treatment, alleging that he had been subjected to prolonged solitary confinement and denied regular contact with his family .
“For three years the father of my two sons, and Pakistan’s former Prime Minister, Imran Khan, has been brutally penalised by his political opponents,” she said .
Goldsmith further alleged that Khan’s detention conditions amounted to torture and were taking a potentially serious toll on his physical and mental health . Citing the United Nations’ Nelson Mandela Rules, she said solitary confinement exceeding 15 consecutive days was prohibited and amounted to torture .
Supreme Court Orders and Alleged Non-Compliance
She referred to recent orders by Pakistan’s Supreme Court concerning Khan’s medical treatment and family access, alleging that the directives were being disregarded . According to Goldsmith, the Supreme Court had ordered comprehensive medical treatment, access to Khan’s personal doctor, regular family visits, and twice-weekly telephone calls with his sons .
The former premier was briefly taken to PIMS hospital last week for a medical examination before being returned to Adiala jail, prompting objections from his family and lawyers over the implementation of the court’s directions, which had ordered him to be shifted to Islamabad’s Shifa International Hospital .
British Citizenship and Family Impact
Goldsmith highlighted Khan’s longstanding links with Britain, noting that he studied at Oxford University, captained Oxford University cricket, and played county cricket in England . She said her sons with Khan, Sulaiman and Kasim, were British citizens and had been unable to visit their father .
She alleged that they had been denied visas, threatened with arrest by Pakistani government officials, and prevented from having regular telephone contact with Khan despite the reported court order . She also referred to correspondence from former British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, saying she had been informed that Britain would not intervene if her sons were arrested while travelling to Pakistan .
Goldsmith called on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to publicly demand that Pakistan comply with the Supreme Court’s orders, and urged the British government to seek restoration of Khan’s medical access and family contact, an end to his prolonged isolation, and respect for his fundamental rights .
