ISLAMABAD: British politician Zac Goldsmith has renewed his lobbying efforts for imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan, urging the UK government to raise Khan’s case with Pakistan, prompting criticism in Pakistan that his intervention amounts to foreign pressure over a matter being dealt with by the country’s courts.
Zac Goldsmith has written a letter to UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband lobbying for the release of convicted former prime minister Imran Khan.
Imran Khan is a convicted prisoner serving sentences handed down by courts following legal proceedings in multiple cases. The former prime minister was convicted in corruption cases.
Goldsmith’s letter to UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband came after Khan’s sister, Uzma Khan, said on Friday that her brother was in good health and fit. Yet Zac Goldsmith fabricated a sympathy narrative.
The attempts by the Goldsmith family to write letters to British authorities and engineer propaganda against the government are deeply condemnable, analysts said.
According to analysts, allegations of mistreatment are countered by multiple medical board visits, hospital examinations, and family access.
The Goldsmith family must stop meddling in Pakistan’s internal affairs, analysts maintained. “Foreign interference will never be allowed to dictate terms to a sovereign nation,” an analyst said.
Imran Khan’s sister Uzma clarified in a press conference on August 21 that Imran Khan is healthy and fit, yet Zac Goldsmith is fabricating a story to garner sympathy for Imran Khan, analysts said.
“Imran Khan’s sister Uzma provided the entire nation with clear details about his health in a press conference on August 21. What is left to fabricate after that?” analysts questioned.
According to political analysts, the allegations of abuse can be answered by evidence of multiple visits by the medical team and the hospital and access given to the family, while the number of these visits can also be stated, but each visit made by the family was used for political purposes.
Analysts said that the Supreme Court order regarding treatment in a private hospital has been challenged in court on logical grounds, and documents in this regard can be presented.
Doctors conduct Imran Khan’s medical examination
A statement issued by the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) on Saturday confirmed that two specialists from Shifa International Hospital participated in Imran Khan’s ophthalmological assessment.
PIMS said Imran Khan was brought to the hospital during the intervening night of August 20 and 21 for medical examination and treatment.
The institute said the Shifa specialists participated specifically in the ophthalmological assessment, while other examinations were conducted by the relevant PIMS specialists.
It added that the clinical input from the ophthalmological assessment was considered alongside findings from investigations conducted at PIMS.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Saturday said the government’s position on the matter had remained unchanged: health issues should not be politicised. He said Imran’s medical examination was conducted, his sister was present, and doctors from Shifa International Hospital also participated in the process.
Also Read: Govt Says PTI Violated Apex Court Order Over Imran Khan’s Medical Examination
A statement issued by the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) on Saturday confirmed that two specialists from Shifa International Hospital participated in Imran Khan’s ophthalmological assessment.
Tarar said the government had never stopped Imran’s treatment and urged that his health should not be made a subject of political controversy.
A medical board comprising PIMS doctors then consolidated the medical fitness report. PIMS said it would not disclose the confidential clinical contents of the medical report, citing patient privacy and the directions of the Supreme Court.
Imran Khan, who was convicted in corruption cases, is getting exceptional space in Western media, with more than 150 articles appearing in his favour in European and North American media since he was sent to jail, according to a report by DND. These include a recent article in The Telegraph, published on August 21, 2026, titled “Imran Khan being tortured in prison”.
The article was written by Mumbai-based journalist Samaan Lateef, who also writes for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
Zac Goldsmith’s lobbying for Imran Khan faces backlash
Zac Goldsmith has faced widespread backlash in Pakistan, with people describing the action as an intervention in Pakistan’s internal legal affairs.
On August 21, 2026, Imran Khan’s former brother-in-law, Zac Goldsmith, wrote a letter to the UK Foreign Secretary, Ed Miliband, urging him to raise the issue of Imran Khan’s conviction at the diplomatic level with Pakistan.
Pakistan’s legal matters should be decided by its courts, not through foreign pressure, an overseas Pakistani said.
Senior Pakistani journalist Ammar Masood stated that Pakistan’s legal matters should be decided by its courts, not through foreign pressure.
Human rights activist Khawaja Yaseen Usmani stated that Zac Goldsmith’s intervention is a clear case of selective outrage and unwarranted foreign interference. “If Imran Khan’s health situation is truly as serious as claimed, let the medical evidence, treating doctors, hospital records and courts establish the facts—not foreign lobbying or sympathy manufactured for political purposes,” Yaseen Usmani said.
Zac Goldsmith’s intervention is a clear case of selective outrage and unwarranted foreign interference. If Imran Khan’s health situation is truly as serious as claimed, let the medical evidence, treating doctors, hospital records and courts establish the facts—not foreign…
— Khawaja Yaseen Usmani (@YaseenUSM_Offl) August 22, 2026
Social media users stated that the attempts by the Goldsmith family to write letters to British authorities and engineer propaganda against Pakistan are deeply condemnable. They stated that this move is a direct affront to the dignity and sovereignty of the people of Pakistan.
The Goldsmith family should stop meddling in Pakistan’s internal affairs. Foreign interference will never be allowed to dictate terms to a sovereign nation, social media users stated.
Another human rights activist, Yasir Rehman, said Zac Goldsmith’s intervention in Pakistan’s internal matters is a textbook case of transactional politics. He said Pakistan’s judicial system operates strictly under its own Constitution and laws, not foreign letters or political lobbying.
You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours"—Zac Goldsmith’s hypocritical intervention in Pakistan’s internal matters is a textbook case of transactional politics.
When Imran Khan backed his ex-brother-in-law over Sadiq Khan—a British Muslim candidate who better represented the… https://t.co/fUHknUh9bK— Yasir Rehman (@YasirrRehman) August 22, 2026
“Zac Goldsmith should focus on Britain’s pressing domestic issues rather than lecturing a sovereign nation on its legal decisions,” Rehman said in a statement posted on X.
