Laraib Poswal @LaraibPoswal - Twitter Profile

over 1 year ago

🚨🇵🇰 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: IMRAN KHAN’S SONS BREAK THEIR SILENCE Every once in a while, I conduct an interview that could shape the politics of a country. This may be one of them. Imran Khan, who I spoke with just weeks before his arrest, was one of the most popular leaders of our time. Often called the “Trump of Pakistan,” he had an approval rating above 60%. But when he turned against the country’s powerful military establishment, the cost was immediate. He was shot. Then jailed. Then banned — not just from office, but from television, radio, and social media. And yet, even from behind bars, even with his name erased, his party still won a majority in Pakistan’s latest elections. It didn’t matter. Today, he sits in a 7x8 cell designed for death row inmates. No light. No lawyer. No access to doctors. No due process. His sons, Sulaiman and Kasim Khan, have spent their lives out of the spotlight, far from the chaos of Pakistani politics. But for nearly 2 years, they’ve watched their father — wounded, silenced, and locked in solitary confinement — be forgotten by the world. They haven’t seen him since he was shot. Phone calls, when they come, arrive at random — sometimes at 4 a.m. — and last only 20 minutes before the line goes dead. They stayed completely silent through all of it. Not because they didn’t care — but because they were afraid speaking out would make things worse. But now? Now it’s been too long. Now the silence feels like betrayal. Now, they’re speaking — because this might be the only thing left they can do. And they did not hold back. To Pakistanis: do not lose hope. To the international community: do not turn a blind eye. Thank you @elonmusk and @lindayaX for X and your fight for free speech. Disclaimers: This interview was conducted prior to the recent clashes between India and Pakistan. I am not alleging the Pakistani military or Government was behind Imran’s assassination attempt. Also note: Urdu voice over of the interview posted below as a comment. 01:26 — “He’s literally in the dark.” No visits. No lawyers. No calls. No light. 02:16 — “He’s completely alone.” No contact. No doctor. No way to know if he’s okay. 03:19 — “A death cell… for terrorists.” 7x8 feet. Blacked out. Designed to erase the human spirit. 04:09 — “First two days were hell.” He survived 10 days in pitch darkness by forcing himself into a Zen-like state. 05:55 — “The line cuts at 20 minutes.” Half the time: lessons. The rest: he asks about our lives. 06:50 — “We get a 4 a.m. message.” If we miss it, it’s months before we hear from him again. 08:04 — “They’re trying to break him.” No light. No doctors. No calls. But he refuses to fold. 09:16 — “He won’t take the deal.” Not without his people. Not if it means betraying them. 13:22 — “We’ve run out of options.” Legal routes are gone. Silence no longer helps. This is our last card. 15:19 — “They banned his name.” On TV, radio, and online — we became the code for our own father. 17:01 — “We never spoke to Grenell.” But we’re grateful. And we’ll speak to anyone who’ll listen. 18:27 — “It’s 100% political.” False charges. Fake trials. A democracy on mute. 20:51 — “Yes, people have been taken.” Supporters, journalists — vanished. Tortured. Broken. 22:06 — “He told us to stay private.” But now? We have no choice. 24:03 — “We thought it’d be a few weeks.” It’s been nearly two years. 26:26 — “He reads. He teaches. Then he listens.” Each call is a lifeline. 28:05 — “They blurred him out.” Even the 1992 World Cup photos — he was erased. 31:00 — “I’ve grown more in 2 years than 20.” That’s what he tells us. 32:20 — “It’s getting desperate.” New threats. Talk of a death sentence. No end in sight. 32:57 — “We asked him for permission.” He said: Do it. 35:00 — “The last time we saw him, he’d been shot.” Three bullets. Still standing. Still smiling. 36:45 — “We’re told not to come back.” We might be used to break him further. 38:16 — “Respect the vote.” PTI won — even without its symbol, even in silence. 39:38 — “Selling exotic fruit?” That’s what they jailed him for. 40:53 — “Some family members were scared.” But we have to try something. 42:07 — “He’s not done.” Still learning. Still fighting. Still planning. 43:12 — “He’s 70. He was shot. And they deny him a doctor.” This is not justice. This is torture.