GENEVA — Kasim Khan, son of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, addressed the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), drawing attention to what he described as systematic political repression in Pakistan since 2022.

He stated that his father’s case is “not an isolated incident” but part of a broader pattern including thousands of political prisoners, trials of civilians in military courts, and the silencing or exile of journalists. Kasim also alleged that the February 2024 elections were rigged to prevent his father’s party from coming to power.

Kasim criticized his father’s treatment in detention, citing arbitrary imprisonment, solitary confinement, denial of medical care, and blocked family visits, calling these violations of Pakistan’s obligations under international human rights treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention Against Torture.

He emphasized that he and his brother were compelled to speak out because their father’s deteriorating health and isolation leave no other recourse, framing his father’s detention as a test by the military to see “what they can get away with.”