Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan marked three years in prison on August 5, 2026, as supporters of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party demonstrated in several cities demanding his release. His family, party and Amnesty International have also urged authorities to restore his access to relatives, lawyers and independent medical care.
The dispute matters because Pakistan’s government says Khan’s detention is subject to judicial oversight, while UN experts have warned that the conditions described in official communications could breach international standards. No release or political settlement was announced on August 5.
At a glance:
- Khan was imprisoned on August 5, 2023, after a conviction in a state-gifts case; he rejects the charges as politically motivated.
- PTI announced rallies and a wider movement to demand his release and protest what it calls arbitrary detention.
- A December 2025 UN Special Rapporteur communication recorded allegations that Khan was held in his cell for at least 23 hours a day.
- Khan has received five injections for a retinal condition at a government hospital, while his party seeks treatment from doctors of his choice.
What happened on August 5
PTI had announced August 5 as the start of a nationwide campaign, including public meetings, demonstrations and a possible long march. Dawn reported that the date was chosen to mark three years since Khan’s imprisonment; Al Jazeera reported that supporters held demonstrations amid heavy security and called for his immediate release.
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Khan has remained at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi since September 2023, according to a December 2025 communication from the UN Special Rapporteur on torture. His original three-year sentence followed a conviction related to state gifts, but he remains imprisoned because of later convictions and continuing proceedings, including a 14-year corruption sentence and an additional 17-year sentence in a state-gifts case, according to the supplied reporting.
What rights groups and UN experts say
Amnesty International said Khan had not seen his family for more than eight months and had lacked meaningful access to lawyers since December, according to the organisation’s statement quoted by Al Jazeera. It called for the restoration of family and legal visits, adequate medical care and an end to solitary confinement.
The UN Special Rapporteur’s December 10, 2025 communication is more cautious than a final finding: it records allegations and says it does not prejudge their accuracy. It nevertheless states that reported confinement for at least 23 hours a day would meet the UN definition of prolonged solitary confinement if established, and calls on Pakistan to end the isolation and ensure humane treatment. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention separately found Khan’s deprivation of liberty arbitrary in Opinion No. 22/2024.
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The health dispute
Khan’s medical care has become a central point of contention. His party said he was diagnosed with a retinal condition in January 2026 and received five injections at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences without adequate notice to his family or lawyers. A June 15 hospital statement reported that he received a fifth intravitreal injection and was clinically stable, with signs of improvement on an eye scan.
PTI and Khan’s relatives have continued to seek access for his personal doctors and a transfer to a private hospital in Islamabad. The government’s position, as reported by Al Jazeera, is that Khan receives dedicated accommodation, exercise facilities, cooking arrangements and medical care under continuing judicial oversight. The competing accounts have not been resolved publicly.
Why release remains uncertain
The government has rejected negotiations outside the courts and says any relief must come through the judicial process. PTI lawyer Abuzar Salman Niazi argues that restrictions on family and legal access, prolonged imprisonment and obstacles to judicial relief show that considerations beyond ordinary justice may be involved; the government disputes that interpretation.
The immediate result of the August 5 demonstrations was political pressure rather than a change in Khan’s custody. PTI continues to frame his imprisonment as part of a wider struggle over constitutional rule and the right of voters to choose their government, while authorities say the cases and prison conditions remain matters for Pakistan’s courts and institutions.
Questions readers ask
Why is Imran Khan still in prison if his first three-year sentence was imposed in 2023?
The three-year sentence was followed by other convictions and proceedings. The supplied reporting says Khan is currently serving a 14-year corruption sentence and received an additional 17-year sentence in a state-gifts case; he rejects the charges.
Has the UN ruled that Khan’s prison conditions amount to torture?
The UN Special Rapporteur on torture recorded allegations of confinement for at least 23 hours a day and warned that, if established, the conditions could violate international standards and amount to prohibited prolonged solitary confinement. The communication was not presented as a final fact-finding judgment.
What is the current medical issue involving Khan?
He has been treated for a retinal condition in his right eye and received a fifth intravitreal injection at a government hospital on June 15, 2026. His party wants independent doctors and treatment at a private hospital.
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