NICOPs of Imran’s sons missing, says Aleema

Incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan on Saturday said National Identity Cards for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOPs) of Imran’s sons were missing, hence, they had applied for NICOPs as well along visas for Pakistan.

Speaking to media outside the Adiyala jail in Rawalpindi, Aleema said, “One of the (Imran’s) child has lost the NICOP, while the other has misplaced it.”

She said this in response to a query that why Sulaiman and Kasim need visas when they hold NICOPs.

She said NICOPs of Imran’s sons were still valid for next 6-7 years. How they can snatch their right to travel to Pakistan, we have tracking numbers of their applications, she said, repudiating the claim allegedly made by some authorities that the brothers did not apply for visas at the London high commission.

Aleema said they are utilising both the options to reach Pakistan to meet their father in the jail.

“If they (the authorities) wanted to grant them permission they could do so in no time,” she added.

A day ago, she had said Sulaiman and Kasim have applied for Pakistani visas.

In a post on X, Aleema had said, “A few days ago Suleiman and Kasim applied for their visas with the Pakistan high commission in London. The ambassador has intimated that he is awaiting approval from the ministry of interior in Islamabad.”

In a statement last week, Aleema had said that Kasim and Sulaiman held NICOPs and were expected to visit Pakistan soon to meet their imprisoned father.

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Speaking to reporters outside Adiala Jail, she had confirmed that both the sons of the ex-prime minister possessed valid travel documents and “will come to see their father anytime soon.”

However, she had withheld specific dates, hinting at the fluidity and uncertainty surrounding their planned visits amid a politically charged environment.

Government ministers have suggested the possibility that visa refusals might prevent the young men from entering the country.

But Aleema had dismissed such claims as a transparent ploy – a calculated attempt by authorities fearful that the presence of Imran’s sons could galvanise public support and intensify demands for his release. “This is nothing but political harassment and an infringement upon the rights of a Pakistani citizen,” she had lamented.

“They want to isolate my brother, weaken his morale, and prevent the masses from seeing his condition. But we will not be intimidated.” She had revealed that her sisters, Noreen Khan and Uzma Khan, were denied permission again to meet Imran. Previously, the Adiyala jail had allowed six visitors at a time; this was subsequently reduced to just two.