Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s detention hit a grim three-year mark this week, with his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), lawyers, and human rights organizations calling for fair treatment for the popular leader, whose trials continue to face legal questions.
Amnesty International renewed calls for Pakistani authorities to restore his basic rights, citing an alleged pattern of isolation, deteriorating health, and restricted access to both family and legal counsel.
In a statement, the human rights group detailed what it described as a steady erosion of due process for the 72-year-old opposition leader, who has been held since August 2023.
Khan is rarely allowed to see his family, and his sisters have been denied meetings for several months now, despite court orders for arranging regular family visits.
PAKISTAN: Ahead of the third anniversary of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s ongoing detention, Isabelle Lassee, Amnesty International’s Acting Regional Director for South Asia, said:
“For three years, Pakistan’s authorities have systematically denied Imran Khan the right to…
— Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office (@amnestysasia) August 4, 2026
Meanwhile, Khan’s eyesight has reportedly worsened significantly during this period. His wife, Bushra Bibi Khan, who is also imprisoned, has faced similar restrictions.
His sisters, led by Aleema Khan, have protested the secretive manner in which Khan was treated for his eyesight—reportedly in the dark of night—and have decried the denial of their request for his personal physicians to examine him and observe the procedure carried out a few months ago.
United Nations human rights officials have also called for an end to Khan’s solitary confinement. Khan is a World Cup-winning former cricket captain and one of the greatest players of all time.
“For three years, Pakistan’s authorities have systematically denied Imran Khan the right to a fair trial, subjected him to prolonged solitary confinement, and limited his access to medical care and visitation rights,” said Isabelle Lassee, Amnesty International’s Acting Regional Director for South Asia.
UN rapporteur asks Pakistan to end Imran Khan’s ‘illegal’ solitary confinement
Since December 2025, both Khan and his wife have also been denied regular access to legal counsel, Lassee noted.
Amnesty called on the government to immediately end what it termed unlawful solitary confinement, ensure adequate medical care, and restore unimpeded family and lawyer visits for both Khan and his wife. The group also urged authorities to facilitate peaceful gatherings planned by Khan’s family and supporters to mark the anniversary and to avoid the kind of crackdowns that have followed previous PTI-organized protests.
Khan, who was ousted as prime minister in April 2022 after losing a parliamentary vote of no confidence, has faced a cascade of legal battles since his first arrest in May 2023.
At one point, courts had hundreds of cases filed against him in different locations, many of which his critics say were unrelated to any credible charges. They have called it a mockery of legal proceedings that Khan should be subjected to such a large number of cases.
World Cricket Icons Call for Humane Treatment of Imprisoned Imran Khan
His party, PTI, was barred from contesting the 2024 general elections, and many of its members have been arrested in connection with protests that erupted after his initial detention and again in November 2024. Eighty-five PTI supporters have since been convicted by military courts on anti-terrorism charges.
PTI supporters and lawyers have accused Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government and the military establishment of deprive the party of its constitutionally guaranteed activities and stealing the popular mandate in 2024 elections.
The current coalition government refers questions to courts while the establishment denies any interference in the political process.
خاموشی ہمارا انتخاب نہیں، اتحاد ہماری طاقت ہے۔
5 اگست کو حق، انصاف اور آزادی کی آواز بنیں۔
قربانیاں بہت ہو چکیں، اب ہے وقتِ حساب۔#ناحق_قید_کے_3سال pic.twitter.com/nVM6dR8hcO— PTI (@PTIofficial) August 4, 2026
While Khan was acquitted in two separate cases—one involving official secrets and another concerning his marriage—in January 2025, he remains incarcerated while serving a 14-year sentence on corruption-related charges. Bushra Bibi was handed a seven-year term in the same case. In December 2025, both received an additional 17-year sentence in a separate case involving state gifts.
The couple’s detention conditions have drawn international scrutiny. In December 2025, the UN Special Rapporteur on torture expressed concerns that their treatment fell below international standards. A year earlier, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention had already concluded that Khan’s imprisonment was arbitrary and violated international human rights law.
Authorities in Pakistan have not yet issued a formal response to Amnesty’s latest statement. Meanwhile, PTI supporters are expected to hold commemorative events in the coming days, raising the possibility of renewed tensions between opposition activists and security forces.
Asim Tanveer is a seasoned journalist working for TV and electronic and print media outlets. He has been working for some of the world’s leading news organizations including Associated Press (AP), Reuters, BBC, CNN, CNBC, Star TV, Voice of America and The New York Times for more than 30 years. He has won several awards for his live coverage of events that include a Reuters News Agency World Award and the Pride of Performance award in 1997.
