ISLAMABAD: As jailed former PM Imran Khan completes two years in prison, his sons – Sulaiman and Qasim – have stepped into the political spotlight, launching an aggressive lobbying campaign in the United States to press for their father’s release just days before Khan’s call for a nationwide protest on Aug 5, which has put the state on edge.Khan, arrested on Aug 5, 2023, remains behind bars despite some convictions being overturned. He is currently serving time in three major cases that his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), claims are part of a broader effort to keep him out of politics.He was convicted in the Toshakhana case, involving the illegal sale of state gifts received during his premiership. He was sentenced in the cipher case, accused of leaking classified diplomatic correspondence for political gain. And in the Al-Qadir Trust case, Khan and his wife were held liable for controversial land deals linked to a charitable trust.PTI has consistently maintained that the charges are politically motivated, aimed at “eliminating the most popular leader” in the country.Now, with most of PTI’s senior leadership jailed, exiled, or forced to resign, Khan’s sons have taken the international route. Based in the UK, the brothers have held meetings in Washington DC with US lawmakers, policy groups and human rights organisations, and are reportedly preparing to testify before congressional panels.Their message: Imran Khan is being held in solitary confinement in inhumane conditions, denied light, medical access, and family contact.The campaign has triggered speculation about whether the two sons might return to Pakistan, possibly to appear at the planned protest. While PTI has not confirmed this, party insiders say their presence could act as a powerful morale boost for the party’s dispersed support base.Meanwhile, the state has moved swiftly to neutralise any protest momentum. On July 22, an anti-terror court in Lahore sentenced eight senior PTI leaders, including Dr Yasmin Rashid, to 10 years in prison for their alleged role in the May 9 riots, when military installations were targeted after Khan’s initial arrest. Observers see the convictions as a tactical strike to undercut mobilisation ahead of the Aug 5 protest. The verdicts have raised concerns among legal experts about the selective use of terrorism laws against political opponents.From prison, Khan has issued a call for unity among PTI ranks, urging supporters to “shun differences” and prepare for what he called a decisive moment for Pakistan’s democracy. But the party remains fractured and leaderless, with ongoing rifts between loyalists and factions seen as open to negotiations with the establishment.At the heart of the political storm is the army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, who was controversially elevated to five-star rank in May. PTI blames him, along with PML-N and PPP leaders, for orchestrating what it calls a civil-military clampdown to sideline Khan and crush dissent.In a recent prison note, Khan mocked Munir as the “King of the Jungle”, accusing him of ruling the country through “fear, not law”.
