News
February 27, 2026
Concerns about Imran’s Health Echo across UK Parliament
London: The imprisonment and reported deteriorating health of former prime minister Imran Khan came under sustained scrutiny in the UK Parliament on Tuesday.
Peers across party lines pressed the Labor government to intensify diplomatic engagement with Islamabad and consider linking aid and trade to human rights benchmarks.
The issue was raised during oral questions led by Labor peer Baroness Alexander of Cleveden, who asked about discussions with the government of Pakistan regarding Imran’s incarceration.
Responding on behalf of the Foreign Office, Minister of State Baroness Chapman of Darlington reiterated that while Pakistan’s judicial processes are a matter for its own authorities, the UK had consistently raised concerns over fundamental rights.
“While Pakistan’s judicial processes are, of course, a matter for Pakistan, we are clear that the Pakistani authorities need to respect fundamental freedoms, including the right to a fair trial, due process, humane detention and access to appropriate medical treatment,” she said.
“This applies to Imran Khan as it does to all Pakistani citizens.”
The minister added that UK ministers and officials had “regularly raised” with their Pakistani counterparts the need to uphold Pakistan’s constitution and international human rights obligations, including in relation to Imran.
Several peers highlighted reports that Imran had been denied access to lawyers, family members and doctors, and was being held in solitary confinement.
Conservative peer Zac Goldsmith — also the former brother-in-law of Imran — described the situation as “an international outrage”, later writing on X that peers had urged the UK foreign minister to “step up”.
During the debate, he said: “We understand that Imran Khan has been denied access to lawyers, denied access to his family, including his two sons, denied access to doctors, and that he has been kept in solitary confinement, with his health deteriorating rapidly.”
Goldsmith asked whether the UK should reconsider its aid contribution to Pakistan, noting that it has often been among the top recipients of British assistance. He suggested that aid should be contingent on Islamabad, demonstrating a clear commitment to the Commonwealth Charter, including judicial independence and the rule of law.
In response, Baroness Chapman said the UK maintained a consistent position that all prisoners should have access to healthcare and family visits, and that this message would continue to be conveyed to Islamabad.
On development spending, she noted that the UK had already reduced its aid budget by 40 per cent and that further announcements regarding country allocations would follow shortly.
Concerns about Pakistan’s wider democratic trajectory and the role of the military also featured prominently.
Liberal Democrat peer Lord Purvis of Tweed said that several opposition figures had been prosecuted and sentenced following protests, and warned of “significant worry about the extent of state capture of the Pakistani economy by the military”.
He asked whether human rights would be explicitly integrated into the UK-Pakistan trade dialogue.
Baroness Chapman acknowledged “very real concerns” about the operation and transparency of military courts , and said that human rights were integral to the UK’s trading relationships.
“It would not be the right thing to do to end all aid to Pakistan,” she said.
“The need is there, British interests are there, and we work with Pakistan on counterterrorism, which is absolutely in the interest of our country.” - Dawn
Courtesy Dawn
Back to Pakistanlink Home