PML-N leaders divided on possible political entry of Imran Khan's sons amid legal concerns

Islamabad [Pakistan], July 10 (ANI): Leaders of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have issued conflicting statements on whether former Prime Minister Imran Khan's sons -- Suleman Khan and Kasim Khan would be allowed to enter Pakistan and lead a political movement for their father's release, Dawn reported.
While speaking on Geo News' programme Geo Pakistan, PML-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui stated, "In my personal opinion -- as the government has so far not taken any official stance -- they should be allowed to come. They should come and carry out their activities." Siddiqui added that the two brothers "should not be deprived of this right. If they want to run a movement for their father, then they should," according to Dawn.
However, he also cautioned that if the sons violate legal boundaries, they could face arrest. "If they come here and cross the limitations of laws [...] They will also come prepared for that, knowing that 'if we are fighting the laws, then the law will take its course'," he said.
Imran Khan, the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has been imprisoned since August 2023 in connection with a case related to state gifts, and is currently serving a sentence in Adiala Jail in the £190 million graft case. He also faces multiple trials linked to the May 9, 2023 riots, Dawn reported.
Earlier this week, Imran's sister Aleema Khan announced that his sons would be joining an upcoming PTI protest campaign. While Kasim Khan recently posted on X that their father was "fully cut off" from them, he has not confirmed any plans to engage in Pakistan's political scene.
Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik told Dawn.com that Article 16 of the Constitution only applies to citizens, and "foreigners are not allowed to assemble in Pakistan." He said, "If the visa conditions are violated, the visa can be cancelled." When asked if the sons had applied for a visa or held National Identity Cards for Overseas Pakistanis, Malik said the interior ministry would need to examine the matter.
The minister added that the two "could not legally participate in local political activity as they were British nationals," Dawn reported.
Other PML-N leaders offered mixed opinions. Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said the brothers "should come," while Prime Minister's Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah warned they could be arrested if they lead a violent movement.
Senator Siddiqui downplayed the entire issue, saying the government was not treating it as significant. "This will not cause any political upheaval [...] there will be no storm if his children come to Pakistan," he said. Comparing their entry to playing an old card, he remarked, "Why these kids now?"
"This card that they are playing will not succeed either. It will aggravate their difficulties because, in the end, politics is to be discussed at the table," Siddiqui said, while also suggesting that "neither Ali Amin Gandapur -- the PTI's only chief minister currently -- could do anything for the PTI, nor their protests, or 'revolt', or the call to overseas Pakistanis to halt remittances," Dawn reported.
He also mocked the sons' preparedness for Pakistani politics, saying, "They might even melt if you leave them in Karachi's heat on I.I. Chundrigar Road; those poor kids' nature is such." He added, "They are maybe not able to speak in Urdu either, so they do not have a language to address this nation."
At the same time, he acknowledged their symbolic value: "They are sensible, educated and must be politically well-aware as well," and referred to their recognition as Imran Khan's sons, Dawn reported.
Calling the move an emotional appeal, Siddiqui said, "They (the sons) are being called because [PTI's] options within the land of Pakistan have been exhausted."
Responding to comparisons with PPP leaders like Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Siddiqui said the political climate had changed. "The latter had still not gotten a chance to run a movement as the scenario had changed entirely," he noted, comparing current circumstances to past dictatorships, Dawn reported.
Meanwhile, Imran Khan's former wife, Jemima Goldsmith, denounced what she described as the government's plan to arrest her sons if they travelled to Pakistan. "My children are not allowed to speak on the phone to their father. He has been in solitary confinement in prison for nearly two years," she posted on X.
"Pakistan's government has now said if they go there to try to see him, they too will be arrested and put behind bars," she wrote. "This doesn't happen in a democracy or a functioning state. This isn't politics. It's a personal vendetta," Dawn reported. (ANI)