Source : Perth Now news
The sister of Pakistani cricket icon Imran Khan has voiced her fears that he will be killed in prison, as she continues her fight to seek justice for him.
The former Pakistani cricket captain and prime minister was jailed for more than 30 years over allegations of corruption and leaking classified information.
Speaking to A Current Affair on Tuesday, Khan’s sister Al Lima Hanam said she feared his life was in danger and they needed all the help they could get.
“They will kill him in jail,” she said.
Khan was charged with more than 100 offences and was jailed in 2022.
He continues to deny the allegations.
Khan’s supporters claim the 73-year-old has been denied health care and kept isolated in a tiny cell for the past three years.
His sister saw him in October last year when he told her: “I would never bow to a pharaoh or tyranny. I would die in jail but not do that.”
She fears she will be killed or put in jail for speaking out about her brother.
“The temperature in his cell could be 50 degrees, he’s never complained,” she said.
“They also disconnected him from any contact from his family, from his children, from meetings, from his lawyers.
“He developed hypertension because of his solitary confinement.
“Two weeks, they don’t allow a doctor to come and see him … the delay caused permanent damage to his eye, it’s not that he’s getting ill, it’s that they are doing things to him.
“All we’ve asked for till now is for him to be taken to an independent hospital, that’s it, that’s all we ask for and they are not complying with it.
“They thought they put him in prison and he’d disappear forever, he is not going to disappear because he’s the voice of the people.
“He’s become a desperate need for the people. He’s carrying the hopes of 250 million people. He would never let them down.”
Ms Hanam said her family and the people of Pakistan were touched by the support they had received from Australian cricketers.
ACA revealed more than 20 former Australian cricket captains including Greg Chappell, Steve Waugh and Adam Gilcrest have petioned for Kahn to receive humane treatment and independent medical care in prison.
“Their voice is also heard in Australia. For example, if Greg Chappell speaks, Australians hear about it, and when somebody in Britain speaks, the British hear about it,” Ms Hanam said.
“His life is in danger and we expect and we hope that when the captains raise their voice, their governments will put pressure on this tyrannical government and not support it.
“If you don’t break the chains of your own slavery, if you don’t stand up for yourself, you will always remain slaves.
“That’s what he’s always said. We have to fight for his life. We are fighting for his life and we are fighting for his freedom.”
