Imran Khan's Sons Live In London, But Here's How Can They Can Influence Pakistan Politics

Last Updated:July 14, 2025, 18:09 IST

According to Jemima Goldsmith, the Pakistani government has denied her sons the right to even speak to their father. No phone calls, no video chats, no WhatsApp.

Imran Khan's sons, Suleman and Qasim, living in London with their mother Jemima Goldsmith, are pushing for his release from jail. (News18 Hindi)

As former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan languishes in Adiala Jail nearing two years of imprisonment, his two sons, Suleman Isa Khan and Qasim Khan, are turning into unexpected pressure points for the Pakistani establishment. Living thousands of miles away in London with their mother Jemima Goldsmith, the two young men have become symbols of a new kind of political unease, one that can’t be silenced with prison walls.

Their crime, in the government’s eyes? Speaking up for their father.

Ever since Imran Khan’s arrest on August 5, 2023, in the Toshakhana corruption case, a growing list of legal battles has followed – four convictions, multiple pending cases, and persistent claims from his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), that the entire campaign is politically motivated. While those cases make headlines, it’s the silence imposed on his family that is beginning to raise eyebrows.

According to Jemima Goldsmith, the Pakistani government has denied her sons the right to even speak to their father. No phone calls, no video chats, no WhatsApp. She says the last contact Imran had with either son was 10 months ago in September 2024.

The government has warned us that if the boys try to come to Pakistan, they will be arrested, Jemima revealed on social media, adding that this was personal revenge disguised as politics and it violates every principle of justice and democracy.

The court had earlier allowed limited communication through WhatsApp calls and in-person visits. But those orders were never enforced. Instead, Jemima says the state has chosen to sever all personal contact, an action she calls a “human rights crisis hiding behind courtrooms and case files".

In May 2025, for the first time, Suleman and Qasim broke their silence. Through coordinated online statements and interviews, they appealed to the international community to pressure the Pakistani government to release their father.

That’s when things shifted.

Sources within the party PTI and close to the Khan family suggest that Islamabad became visibly uneasy. Intelligence agencies reportedly warned that a global campaign led by Khan’s sons, especially from London, where the political and media networks are strong, could reignite a public movement around Imran’s imprisonment. For a government still wary after the May 9 violence of 2023, it’s a scenario they want to avoid at all costs.

Who Are These Two Sons?

Suleman Isa Khan, born in 1996 in London, has largely stayed out of the public spotlight. He studied in the UK and helped campaign for his maternal uncle, Zac Goldsmith, during the 2016 London mayoral race. He’s drawn to media and politics but has yet to actively step into either professionally.

Qasim Khan, born in 1999, is a graduate in Islamic History from the University of Bristol. He’s now carving a niche as an entrepreneur. One of his startups, Meifu Marketing, provides services to digital creators and freelancers. While not a politician by training, Qasim is quickly finding his voice as a political activist. His social media posts calling for his father’s release have gained traction among the Pakistani diaspora and human rights circles.

Both are passionate cricket fans. Jemima occasionally shares clips of Qasim bowling like his father and Suleman batting, invoking memories of Khan’s days on the pitch.

Jemima claims government officials have explicitly warned that if either son lands in Pakistan, they could face immediate detention. The rationale behind such a move is unclear, neither is accused of any crime, but in today’s political climate, guilt by association seems to be enough.

Imran Khan married Jemima Goldsmith in 1995; they divorced in 2004. Since then, she has raised their sons in London. While the family has avoided getting dragged into Pakistani politics directly, that firewall is cracking. Khan’s imprisonment and the government’s attempts to isolate him completely, from his supporters, legal team, and now his family, have pulled his sons into the centre of the storm.

And they’re not stepping back.

Suleman and Qasim have no immediate political ambitions, but that may no longer matter. In a political system that fears protest and paranoia in equal measure, even the act of speaking out is rebellion. The Pakistani government, it seems, is not just afraid of Khan’s rallies or PTI’s slogans. It’s afraid of two young men in London, armed only with their voices, calling out across continents for their father.

Islamabad, Pakistan

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