ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s defense minister Khawaja Asif on Wednesday criticized the sons of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan after one of them raised concerns at the United Nations about human rights and his father’s continued imprisonment in Pakistan amid debate over the country’s trade privileges with the European Union.
The reaction followed social media posts by Khan’s family referencing the debate around Pakistan’s Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+), a European Union trade arrangement that grants developing countries preferential and duty-free access to EU markets. The scheme is offered to these countries in return for implementing 27 international conventions on human rights, labor standards, environmental protection and governance.
Pakistan has benefited significantly from GSP+, which supports key export sectors such as textiles, and any move to suspend it could carry economic consequences for the country.
The discussion gained traction after Kasim Khan, the former premier’s son, addressed the UN Human Rights Council and urged international scrutiny of Pakistan’s human rights record, including his father’s detention.
“If sons are so concerned about their father, instead of lobbying for revocation of GSP+ status they should demonstrate their love and commitment, travel to Pakistan to visit him,” Asif said in a post on social media.
In a post on X, Khan’s son said he supported retaining the status while calling for compliance with international obligations.
“Like my father, I fully support maintaining GSP+ as the people of Pakistan should never be punished for the actions of its leaders,” he wrote. “But the Pakistani regime must also fully comply with the 27 treaties it committed to follow to obtain this benefit.”
In remarks delivered at the UN forum, he said his father had been imprisoned for nearly 1,000 days and described his detention as part of a wider crackdown on dissent, allegations the Pakistani government denies.
The comments were amplified by Imran Khan’s sister, who said on social media that Kasim had attended a “conference to revoke Pakistan’s GSP+ status” in light of alleged human rights violations.
Khan, a former cricket star turned politician, has been in jail since August 2023 in cases he and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party say are politically motivated. The government says the legal proceedings follow due process.
The latest exchange comes after the government allowed Khan to speak with his sons on Eid Al-Fitr and said they were free to visit Pakistan using overseas identity cards, amid ongoing concerns raised by his family about his health and detention conditions.
Khan was removed from office in April 2022 through a parliamentary vote of no confidence, and his imprisonment has since fueled a prolonged political confrontation between his supporters and the government.
