Imran Khan's son says no one has heard from imprisoned cricket legend for months

The son of cricket legend Imran Khan has revealed 'no one has seen or heard from my father since August' amid growing fears for the imprisoned politician in Pakistan.

Khan, 74, who formerly served as Prime Minister of the country, has been detained in Rawalpindi's notorious Adiala Jail to serve a 14-year sentence, after being convicted of several charges including corruption and bribery, in 2023.

The former statesman, who denied all of the accusations, has since been placed inside a 6ft by 8ft solitary confinement cell and denied access to court-ordered medical care.

Lawyers for Khan have described the conditions he is being held in as 'amounting to torture', while the former sportsman's health is said to have deteriorated in recent months.

He has reportedly lost 85 per cent of his vision in his right eye due to a blood clot and has been diagnosed with high blood pressure.

Now his son Sulaiman Khan, 29, from the politician's first marriage to British heiress Jemima Goldsmith, has spoken out over concerns the family has not heard from Khan in months.

He and his brother Kasim, 27, have previously said they expected their father to suffer a similar fate to that of ex-Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, who died in a court room from a heart attack in 2019.

Human rights experts believe Morsi's death was brought on by the abuse and neglect he experienced in solitary confinement.

The son of cricket legend Imran Khan, pictured, has revealed 'no one has seen or heard from my father since August' amid growing fears for the imprisoned politician in Pakistan

Khan, pictured with his sons Sulaiman (left) and Kasim (right). They have previously said they fear their father will be assassinated by Pakistani authorities

On a social media post written on Wednesday night, Sulaiman said: 'No one has seen or heard from my father since August, when he explicitly said that he was being tortured and that the regime was trying to kill him like Egypt's government did Morsi.

'The UN Special Rapporteur on torture has repeatedly stated that his treatment amounts to torture.

'Pakistan's fascist regime, led by military dictator Asim Munir, continue to ignore the Supreme Court order from August for my father to be assessed and treated at the private Shifa International Hospital, as well as for regular access to family visits and access to his lawyers.

'It is clear that they are trying to kill him as he is by far the most popular political figure in the country, and they fear him.'

Sulaiman went on to suggest that 'if the worst happens, no one should make any mistake who is responsible.'

He has previously accused Pakistan’s powerful army chief Asim Munir of having a 'personal vendetta' against his father, alongside the 'illegitimate Pakistani government'.

Sulaiman added: 'Every government that continues to legitimise this regime will be complicit in this and the resulting chaos and destabilisation it causes in the region.

'No state that is engaging in friendly relations with this fascist Pakistani regime can truly claim to uphold the values of democracy or human rights.'

Khan's sons - who were advised by former Foreign Minister David Lammy not to travel to Pakistan over concerns the UK would not be able to support them if they were arrested - have publicly criticised the British government for failing to intervene or offer support over their father's plight.

In response to his post, Sulaiman's mother Jemima, 52, backed his words and wrote on social media: 'Another son forced on to social media & into politics by this venal Pakistani regime …'

The latest comments come a month after Kasim, 27, told Times Radio he feared his father would be assassinated and that multiple prisoners have died from hepatitis in the jail due to the poor conditions.

Authorities could then 'eventually blame it on natural death', in reference to his father contracting the deadly disease.

Khan pictured with his first wife, British heiress Jemima Goldsmith, who has also spoken out about how her ex-husband has been treated

Kasim said he had hoped Prime Minister Andy Burnham might revisit the case and offer assistance.

'There's nothing they fear more than foreign countries, foreign intervention. But as long as we go without any kind of support, then they have complete power in Pakistan, they can do absolutely anything. They're very, very unpredictable and chaotic,' he said.

The brothers have previously described Khan's inhumane quarters as a 'death cell' with 'filthy water'.

'The conditions are disgusting and also he is completely isolated from any human contact,' Kasim said.

Their last contact with their father was months ago through a phone call.

He added that his father was being subjected to 'psychological torture tactics' as even the prison guards were not allowed to communicate with him as he spends 23 hours in isolation.

Khan complained of high blood pressure, heart palpitations and anxiety to his sister who was allowed to join him for a short period while in a government hospital.

In August, Sky Sports broadcast an interview with the two sons during an England v Pakistan cricket match, which prompted the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to threaten abandoning the match.

The heavily politicised PCB is sensitive to any criticism of government policy, and has denied mistreating Khan or forbidding prison visits by his family and lawyers.

In February, 14 cricket greats from around the world, including ex-England captains Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton, signed an open letter calling for better treatment for Khan.

During his time as an international cricketer, Khan became one of the most successful all-rounders in history, featuring in 88 Test matches and concluding his career by leading Pakistan to World Cup glory in 1992.

He enjoyed popular support when he became the premier of Pakistan in 2018, but fell out with the king-making military establishment and was booted from power in a 2022 no-confidence vote.

His supporters have regularly taken to the streets to demand his release on multiple occasions since his arrest in May 2023.

Poundland could disappear from the High Street within days as Andy Burnham asks questions over how its owners handled a sales process.

Thousands of nervous staff are waiting to hear what will happen to the discount retailer after it filed a notice to appoint administrators with the High Court today.

This will give the business, bought by US investment firm Gordon Brothers for less than £1 last year, some breathing room – ten days – to find a rescue deal. AlixPartners is poised to take over a potential insolvency process.

But the Poundland brand and its 600 shops will not be sold as a whole, leading to a carve-up of the 36-year old retailer, meaning jobs are at risk at any shops that are not bought.

And on Thursday night, the Prime Minister said he is ready to demand answers from owners amid a 'deeply worrying time' for staff and their families.

Burnham told The Telegraph: 'We want to see jobs protected. If there was a potential owner to avoid this that hasn’t been accepted, then the Business Secretary and I want to know why that is the case.'

Battle for survival: The fate of Poundland's near 12,000 staff hangs in the balance.

It would mark the biggest high street collapse since Debenhams closed its doors in 2021 with the loss of 12,000 jobs.

Job losses could hit 600 shops and a distribution centre in Makerfield, Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s constituency, which employs around 270 people.

Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds also said he was ‘very much concerned’ and would push for answers as workers and bosses seethe over its failure to find a buyer.

He told The Telegraph: ‘If it is true that it was not necessary to put the business into administration then the present owners will have to account for that.’

Why has Poundland struggled?

Chains like Poundland are battling shoppers with constrained budgets while costs, such as employing people, have increased – following Government moves to hike wages and employer National Insurance contributions. Savvier shoppers are looking for cheaper online alternatives, including Amazon, Temu and TikTok Shop.

Former owners, the Warsaw-listed Pepco Group, made some wrong moves that did not go down well with its customers, including putting Pepco clothing in its shops.

Its most recent woes stem back to last year, when it narrowly avoided collapsing into administration. The chain was sold in June 2025 to US firm Gordon Brothers for a nominal €1 amid 'challenging trading conditions'.

By November 2025, around 100 Poundland shops had been shut or earmarked for closure. Two months later, as part of its radical turnaround plan, Poundland had shut 149 stores with 2,200 job losses.

But this year, Poundland bosses insisted it was turning a corner, pointing to like-for-like sales growth of 3.3 per cent in the three months to September 26.

Poundland's managing director Barry Williams said earlier this month: 'Our recovery plan is working, thanks to our investment in simple low pricing and new ranges, powered by our new in-house teams.'

Why is there a dispute between Poundland’s owners and its bosses?

Both shop workers’ union Usdaw and Poundland’s management have accused Gordon Brothers of mishandling a sales process, which it kicked off at the beginning of September.

The union met with the minister for the future of work, Kate Dearden, on Wednesday, amid warnings of what would be the biggest High Street collapse in years.

Three directors, appointed less than a fortnight ago, this week walked out following a dramatic dispute with owners Gordon Brothers.

Hours later the retailer’s management hit out at the owners, calling the process ‘unexpected, unwanted and avoidable’.

Government adviser David Bickerton is set to ask ‘fairly basic questions of senior people around Poundland’ in order to ‘establish what the situation is,’ on behalf of the business secretary, the Financial Times reported.

What does a notice to appoint administrators mean?

‘Filing a notice of intention isn’t administration itself,’ explains Julie Palmer, managing partner at real estate advisory group BTG.

Instead, it effectively keeps the wolves from the door for up to ten business days of protection and helps the firm preserve cash.

She added: ‘If an appointment follows, the administrators take control of the company from the directors. Their first duty is to try to rescue it as a going concern.

'If that isn’t possible, they aim for a better result for creditors than liquidation would give. In practice that usually means a sale, either of the whole business or in parts. For staff and customers, stores normally keep trading while that happens, but the risk is that the business is broken up, with stronger stores sold and weaker ones closed.’

Who could buy the shops?

Owner Gordon Brothers rejected a takeover offer from Irish real estate firm Martin Property Group – despite management and unions arguing this was the best deal on the table.

This would have been for the whole business, including its brand and full store estate.

But now it seems like other major retailers, especially those with grand expansion plans, could pick up some shops from Poundland.

The owner of The Range, Homebase and Wilko – known as Britain’s ‘Del Boy Billionaire’ – is thought to be interested. Chris Dawson, 74, who runs CDS Superstores, acquired the Wilko brand out of administration in 2023.

Dawson got his nickname, the 'Del Boy billionaire', via the press as a reference to his yellow Lamborghini Urus, which has a personalised number plate 'DE11 BOY', a homage to the character Del Boy Trotter from the classic TV show Only Fools and Horses.

Dawson started his career as a market trader, before founding The Range and scaling it to a major high street chain. He has since acquired Wilko and Homebase out of administration.

Chris Dawson, 74, runs CDS Superstores, which owns The Range, Homebase and Wilko

Poundstretcher owner Fortress is also understood to be looking at buying shops. The rival discount retailer runs more than 300 shops in the UK.

Supermarket Lidl also hopes to be able to snap up some of its stores if the retailer fails to sell the whole company. The discounter is pushing ahead with a major expansion mission.

TG Jones owner is also understood to be interested in buying parts of the Poundland business.

The private equity group owns Britain's WH Smith shops, now known as TG Jones stores and previously bought ailing accessories chain Claire's, Hobbycraft and The Original Factory Shop.

All Claire's standalone shops in the UK and Ireland stopped trading earlier this year after its financial woes saw it fall into administration twice in a year.

Are shops open and will staff be paid?

Poundland shops are currently open and operating business as usual.

But Poundland's managing director Barry Williams wrote a letter to around 12,000, accusing the retailer’s owner of limiting the chain's access to funding.

This has effectively prevented bosses from making routine payments, with suppliers now worried they will not be paid on time this week, according to Sky News.

But sources close to the crisis talks insisted that this should not prevent staff from being paid at the end of the month.

Williams told staff: 'I'm disappointed to have to tell you that Gordon Brothers have given instructions that restricts our access to funds that we would, in normal circumstances expect to access fully under our existing loan agreement.'

Gordon Brothers are accused of breaching the terms of an asset-based lending facility by failing to submit a budget to the shareholders on time despite an agreed grace period – with the business now outperforming those forecasts, Sky News reported.

Julie Palmer, managing partner at real estate advisory group BTG, says that in this situation, ‘existing commitments such as payroll and supplier invoices can still be met from cash already available‘.

But bosses cannot ‘draw further funds to cover anything beyond that,’ she says, which poses a problem as retailers typically draw from these loans in the autumn to buy Christmas stock - before repaying from festive sales in December and January.

She added: ‘If a lender has concerns about longer-term viability, it may simply be unwilling to increase its exposure by funding that stock build, particularly when it can’t be sure who will own the business, or what shape it will be in, by the time the money needs to come back.

‘That leaves management with very little room to manoeuvre. It limits their ability to buy stock or take on new commitments, and puts directors in a difficult position, because they must be confident the company can meet its liabilities before taking on new ones. Once credit insurers pull back and suppliers start asking for payment up front, the squeeze tightens quickly.’