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‘Stay strong': Trump aide meets Imran Khan's sons, takes a jibe at Pakistani establishment
Richard Grenell, a close aide of US President Donald Trump, met with the sons of jailed Pakistani leader Imran Khan in California
Richard Grenell, a key ally of US President Donald Trump, on Tuesday (July 22) met with the sons of jailed former prime minister of Pakistan Imran Khan in California.
Grenell, who served as Trump's special envoy and US ambassador to Germany, posted a photo with the brothers, Sulaiman Isa Khan and Kasim Khan, on social media.
Grenell wrote on X: 'Welcome to California, my friends. I loved hanging out with you today. Sulaiman and @Kasim_Khan1999, you must stay strong. There are millions of people around the world who are sick of political prosecutions. You are not alone.'
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Welcome to California, my friends.
I loved hanging out with you today.
Sulaiman and @Kasim_Khan_1999, you must stay strong.
There are millions of people around the world who are sick of political prosecutions.
You are not alone. #freeimrankhan pic.twitter.com/TOAOjrEiM1 — Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) July 22, 2025
The meeting has spotlighted Khan's ongoing imprisonment, who has been detained since August 2023.
Human rights groups and Khan's party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), claim his detention is politically driven.
Concerns about Khan's conditions in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, are growing globally.
Reports indicate he is held in solitary confinement, cut off from newspapers, books, and television.
This isn't Grenell's first show of support for Khan.
Grenell previously backed Khan during Trump's 2024 campaign. On Newsmax, he praised Khan's leadership and criticised Pakistan's current government, saying, 'We had a much better relationship with Pakistan during the Trump administration when a guy named Imran Khan was the leader.'
He called Khan a 'political outsider with common-sense views.'
Grenell also compared Khan's legal battles in Pakistan to Trump's in the US, stating, 'He's currently in prison, facing many of the same allegations as President Trump,' and called for the former cricketer's release.
The meeting with Khan's sons is viewed as another clear sign of support from Trump's inner circle.
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