- Imran’s sons can visit Pakistan using Nicop cards, says info minister.
- Says Sulaiman and Kasim will have to comply with Pakistan’s law.
- Tarar says Imran Khan’s phone call will be arranged on Eid day.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has said that jailed former premier Imran Khan’s son — Kasim and Sulaiman — can visit Pakistan on their National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (Nicop) as Pakistani citizens for which no visa is required.
His statement comes in response to Imran’s former spouse, Jemima Goldsmith, who had appealed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to allow her two sons to visit the jailed PTI founder amid growing concerns over his health.
Imran’s lawyer told the Supreme Court that the ex-cricketer had lost significant vision in his right eye while in custody. However, a medical board said the swelling had reduced after treatment and his vision had improved.
“Imran Khan’s phone call will be arranged on Eid day with his children as done in the past as well,” the information minister said.
“His children are welcome to visit Pakistan on their Nicop cards as Pakistani citizens for which no visa is required. However, they will fully comply with the laws of Pakistan during their stay,” he said.
In a X post on Monday, Jemima had said: “My sons Sulaiman and Kasim Khan applied for visas in January (again… ) to allow them to visit their father, Imran Khan, in Pakistan. The Pakistan consulate states that online visa processing normally takes 7–10 working days. It has now been 60 days.”
The delay in the issuance of visas was despite Defence Minister Khawaja Asif publicly promising that Kasim and Suleiman could safely travel there to see their father after four years, she said.