Cite a letter by UN special rapporteur, which raises concerns about torture on Imran, solitary confinement
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a bilateral meeting between US President Donald Trump and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, on the sidelines of the G7 summit, in Evian-les-Bains, France, June 16, 2026.PHOTO: REUTERS
A group of bipartisan United States Congress members on Tuesday sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging him to take up the detention of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder and former prime minister Imran Khan with Pakistan.
Imran has been imprisoned since August 2023, currently serving a sentence at Adiala Jail in a £190 million corruption case. He also faces pending trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) related to the protests of May 9, 2023. His party has regularly raised concerns about his health and well-being in detention.
In a post on X today, the PTI’s US account posted the letter from the lawmakers to Rubio.
“We are concerned about former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Imran Khan’s conditions in detention at the Adiala jail in Rawalpindi, and throughout their entire time in custody,” the letter said.
It said that, as per a December 2025 communication by the United Nations special rapporteur on torture, Imran was held in solitary confinement “in excess of international norms up to 23 hours a day in his cell”.
It added that reports also asserted he was facing “severe eye damage” with Imran’s lawyer stating in February court submissions that he had “lost 85% of his vision in his right eye”. “Mr Khan also raised concerns of ‘slow poisoning’ in October 2023, at the onset of his detention,” the letter said.
READ: UN expert decries Imran’s detention
The lawmakers said that in a separate December 2025 communication, the special rapporteur also raised concerns regarding Bushra Bibi’s treatment.
“She is allegedly being confined in a small, airless, overheated cell for prolonged periods of time, and denied access to clean drinking water and quality food. Her family and legal visits have been restricted, and she has faced significant weight loss, infections, and untreated medical complications. Reports indicate that Ms Khan has experienced significant eye damage, too,” the lawmakers said.
READ MORE: UN expert flags ‘serious risk’ to Bushra Bibi’s well-being
They added that the UN special rapporteur had noted that “immediate attention” was warranted in both their cases.
“We request that the State Department review these concerns and assess the current status of Mr and Ms Khan’s conditions. Moreover, we urge the department to address their continued detention and human rights directly with the Government of Pakistan,” the letter demanded.
The world is watching…
A bipartisan group of thirteen U.S. lawmakers has written to Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging action on the detention conditions of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Khan in Adiala Jail.
Citing UN concerns over solitary… pic.twitter.com/YdpbJxEOrv
— PTI USA Official (@PTIOfficialUSA) August 11, 2026
The lawmakers who signed on to the letter included Suhyas Subramanyam, Joe Wilson, Gus Bilirakis, Ro Khanna, James McGovern, Pramila Jayapal, Donald Beyer Jr, Ilhan Omar, Frank Pallone Jr, Greg Casar, Rashida Tlaib, James Walkinshaw and Johnny Olszewski Jr.
Last year, US Congressmen Wilson and August Pfluger sent a joint letter to Rubio, urging him to engage with Pakistan’s military to secure Imran’s release.
ALSO READ: US Congressmen urge Marco Rubio to secure Imran Khan’s release
The letter, dated February 25, 2025, stated that Imran’s imprisonment, which began in August 2023, was the result of politically motivated charges. It referred to Imran’s ouster in 2022 through a vote of no-confidence as a “suspension of democracy” in Pakistan, leading to strained ties between the two countries.
