Pakistan: Imran Khan denied access to legal counsels, says PTI; claims former PM in 'solitary confinement'

Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan has been kept in solitary confinement and barred from meeting his lawyers or family for over three months, his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), said on Monday. The restrictions came after Khan made critical remarks about Pakistan's army chief Marshal Asim Munir, calling him “a mentally unstable person” following a jail meeting with his sister on December 4.

Khan, 73, has been incarcerated since August 2023, following his arrest after his government was toppled in April 2022. Multiple cases have been registered against him since then.

PTI further said that Khan has been held in solitary confinement, adding that “prolonged solitary confinement is viewed under international law as harmful and potentially constituting cruel, inhuman” treatment when imposed without clear justification or safeguards.

The party added that Khan has been completely isolated in a cell and “even the basic necessities guaranteed under the jail manual have been denied to him.”

PTI criticised the government for failing to explain why Khan has not been able to meet his lawyers, a constitutional right for any prisoner, let alone a former prime minister. The party demanded “immediate access for Imran Khan's lawyers and family members to him in jail."

The PML-N government initially cited rule violations during visits by Khan’s family and party leaders, then extended the ban until February 8, 2026, citing “national security threats.”

After the February 8 general elections in 2024, Khan accused the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of being “mandate thieves,” alleging they manipulated results to come to power.

The PTI has launched multiple demonstrations demanding his release and has announced a major protest on February 8, 2026, against the “stolen mandate” in the general elections.