
Pakistan: Will Imran Khan's sons join nationwide protests? – DW – 07/16/2025
Jemima Goldsmith, the former wife of Pakistan's ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan, has accused the Pakistani government of obstructing her children from communicating with their father.
The 72-year-old cricketer-turned-politician has been behind bars since August 2023. He was previously ousted as prime minister in a parliamentary vote of confidence in April 2022.
Khan faces multiple charges, including corruption and terrorism, but his supporters believe the cases are politically motivated and aimed at thwarting his return to power.
In a post on X, Goldsmith said the government threatened to arrest Khan's sons if they attempt to visit him. She described it as "a personal vendetta."
Her comments came after Rana Sanaullah, an adviser to Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, warned Khan's sons against participating in nationwide protests to demand Khan's release.
Khan's children — Suleman Khan, 28, and 26-year-old Qasim Khan — live in the UK. They made a rare public appearance in May to advocate for their father's release from prison.
The rallies are set to start on August 5. The protest movement is being organized by Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudry dismissed the political significance of Imran Khan's sons, saying that "they are not the focus for the government."
The minister told DW that the former prime minister's children were "welcome to visit Pakistan as lawful visitors, but if they break the law, they will be dealt with accordingly."
The PTI party says Khan's children just want to see their father freed from jail and have no intention to participate in Pakistani politics.
"Their arrival in the country to join a peaceful movement for the release of their father has triggered panic in the concerned quarters, therefore rumors of their possible arrests are being floated to test the waters," Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari, adviser to Imran Khan on international affairs and media, told DW.
PTI welcomes their decision to join the protest movement, he stated.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Asma Shirazi, a political analyst, said Khan's sons are unlikely to come to Pakistan to participate in the protests, especially given the current challenges facing the PTI party, which is riven by internal disputes and conflicting agendas.
"If they come to rally for their father in the coming months, I don't believe they will succeed in securing Khan's release from jail. They are only portrayed as showpieces to galvanize public participation." Shirazi told DW.
Osama Malik, a legal expert, said the government should not hinder Khan's sons from meeting him. At the same time, he advised them against engaging in political activity.
"It should be clear that every country places certain restrictions on foreigners who enter a country on a visit or family visa. Khan's sons should refrain from any political activity in Pakistan as it would be against their visa conditions," he underlined.
"Khan's sons, who have very little understanding of Pakistan or connection with ordinary Pakistanis, may find it extremely difficult to catalyze the movement. Instead, they may end up dividing the party further,' Malik added.
Despite being locked up, Khan still has millions of supporters across Pakistan and can still rely on his personal charisma to incite them to action.
The former athlete still hopes to leave jail and eventually return to power.
Khan's PTI is currently gearing up to launch a massive campaign on August 5, setting up marches across Pakistan to press the government and the military — the country's most powerful institution — to release Khan from prison.
During a press conference on Sunday, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister and a prominent PTI leader Ali Amin Gandapur announced a new 90-day timeline for what he referred to as "a final push" to free Khan.
Several such protests over the past couple of years have escalated into violence, at times paralyzing the capital, Islamabad, for extended periods.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
With the protests drawing near, the government is creating a new national paramilitary force. The official initiative will transform an existing paramilitary unit stationed along Pakistan's northwestern border with Afghanistan into a security force known as the Federal Constabulary.
Its responsibilities will encompass internal security, riot control, and counterterrorism efforts.
"This will be a new and stronger force. We require this force to ensure internal security,' said Interior Minister Chaudhry.
In turn, opposition parties and human rights organizations have already warned that the force could be used for curtailing political and civil liberties.
The human rights situation in Pakistan also became a subject of discussion in the US Congress this week, with a senior US lawmaker expressing concern over the state of affairs in the South Asian nation.
Chris Smith, a Republican congressman and co-chairman of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, said even basic freedoms were being compromised under the current government in Islamabad.
He also criticized the continued imprisonment of ex-PM Khan.
"Life in Pakistan today is marked by rampant government violations of basic freedoms, particularly freedom of speech and media freedom, and the denial of free and fair elections,' Smith said.
The government's human rights record had "taken a sharp turn for the worse" in recent years, he added, urging Washington to "redouble its commitment to democracy and human rights."

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


DW
18 minutes ago
- DW
Bulgaria's arrest of liberal, pro-EU mayor sparks protests – DW – 07/26/2025
Thousands of Bulgarians have been protesting what they say is undue political influence on local justice. Many believe the EU is turning a blind eye to corruption in the Balkan country for political reasons. "My main motivation to be here in this square is my desire for justice," Berkay says. The young man was taking part in a protest held last week in Bulgaria's coastal city of Varna, against the arrest of the local mayor. "My conscience and my sense of civic duty wouldn't allow me just to stand here with my arms folded, in the face of the obvious trend towards authoritarianism in our country," he told DW. Along with other protesters, Berkay didn't want to give his full name. The protests started after the July 8 arrest of Varna's mayor Blagomir Kotsev, a member of the reformist We Continue the Change, or PP, political party. He was arrested during a raid by Bulgaria's Commission for Anti-Corruption. Kotsev was accused of running a criminal group that extorted companies that received public contracts. Two municipal council members from Kotsev's own party and a businessman from Varna were named as his accomplices in the alleged scheme. The mayor's arrest also sparked demonstrations in Bulgaria's capital, Sofia, as well as in other places, and has become a symbol for the general public's growing concern about how their current government is using the public prosecutor's office as a weapon. "Such measures represent a serious interference with democracy and undermine the credibility of the judiciary," another demonstrator, Konstantin, says when DW meets him outside Varna's city hall. "This is not an isolated incident, it's part of a larger problem in the Bulgarian justice system," he argues. The fact that Bulgaria has some serious problems with its justice system is well known. In the latest report on the state of law in the country the European Commission — the body responsible for the day-to-day running of the European Union — notes that there have been barely any improvements. In fact, the EU report was issued on the same day as Varna's mayor was arrested. "Bulgarian democracy is in danger and all those who care about it must abandon their political party affiliations and oppose attempts to impose autocracy and authoritarianism in the country," Bulgarian political scientist Daniel Smilov, also a specialist in comparative constitutional law, writes. "These terms may sound vague and exaggerated but unfortunately they accurately describe what is happening: Key institutions have been hijacked and power and violence have been used to advance the interests of particular political interests." For a long time, Varna's political scene was dominated by the conservative, right-wing party, GERB, short for Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria. It is also the party of the country's current prime minister Rosen Zhelyazko, as well as long-time Bulgarian leader Boyko Borissov, who previously served three terms as prime minister. Borissov and his allies were regularly accused of corruption and there had already been major protests about this in 2020. Borissov is seen to be close to media tycoon and oligarch Delyan Peevski, who's also the leader of a political party, New Beginning. The protesters believe that even though Peevski is currently officially in opposition, he wields too much power in Bulgarian politics. In fact, Varna's mayor Kotsev first became known on the political scene during those 2020 protests before he won in municipal elections in 2023. The main accusations against Kotsev rely almost exclusively on statements by a Bulgarian businesswoman, Plamenka Dimitrova, the owner of a catering business that has often been contracted to state and public functions. Dimitrova is allegedly close to the GERB party and during Borissov's time in office, her company was awarded contracts worth millions. However the new leadership in Varna decided to work with another service provider, one which would do the job for less money. Dimitrova claims she was asked to hand over 15% of the value of the contract if she wished to keep it. Another witness in the case against Kotsev is the city's former deputy mayor, Dian Ivanov. At first Ivanov seemed to confirm Dimitrova's story but then later he withdrew his comments and said they had been "untruths" made "under pressure" from the anti-corruption commission. Despite this, Ivanov was not questioned again and his later-withdrawn statements led to the July 18 court decision to arrest Kotsev and the others. According to Kotsev's party, PP, and their political allies in Democratic Bulgaria, or DB, another pro-European party, the case against Kotsev is part of a wider campaign against opposition parties like his, that is being led by the country's prosecutor general Borislav Sarafov. He is not independent, they claim, and he serves to protect the conservative movements' political interests. At the end of last month, another PP member, the deputy mayor of Sofia Nikola Barbutov, was also arrested on very similar charges: corruption and membership of an organized crime group. Up until now, there's been very little reaction from the European Commission regarding what's happening in Bulgaria. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is a member of the conservative German party, the Christian Democratic Union, or CDU, and the CDU is a member of the same European parliament alliance as Bulgaria's GERB. Many of the demonstrators in Bulgaria argue that is why von der Leyen is staying quiet about what they see as GERB's wrongdoing. "Ursula, do you still support GERB?" is a slogan seen on many of the placards at the demonstrations in Bulgaria. "I hope the EU stops unreservedly giving money to these villains," says Philip, a protester in Sofia. "Boyko's regime is nothing without the money from Europe. Peevski's regime is nothing without the money from Europe." Back in Varna, local demonstrator Berkay predicts a long fight ahead. "I believe we must finally fight these evil models and those who embody them," he said. "One day, when we become parents, we don't want to be ashamed of the situation we're leaving to our children."


DW
2 hours ago
- DW
How a Russian mother is helping prisoners in Ukraine – DW – 07/26/2025
When Irina Krynina's partner went missing while fighting in Ukraine, she searched tirelessly until she found him in captivity. Now, she helps others facing the same uncertainty over their loved ones. Irina Krynina departed from Russia in September 2023, leaving behind her apartment in Krasnoyarsk, her car, and her job as an accountant. She packed her bags, took her two daughters, aged seven and ten, and set off for Ukraine to visit her partner Yevgeny Kovtkov in Ukraine. Kovtkov, who is not the biological father of her children, had been fighting for Russia against the Ukrainian army when he was captured. She booked a flight to Turkey, flew from there to Moldova, and then journeyed on to Kyiv. She received logistical support from a helpline operated by Ukraine's defense intelligence service HUR. Named "I Want to Live" (Khochu zhit), the helpline was originally set up for Russian soldiers opting to surrender. Krynina used the service to locate her partner, and travel to Ukraine to find him. She was the first in this war to attempt such a thing. In an interview with DW, she said she had known very little about Ukraine until 2022, but had been against the annexation of Crimea back in 2014. But it was only in 2023, when her partner was sent to the Donetsk region to fight and was soon after taken prisoner that she started reading up about the war. "When I realized what was really happening, I didn't want to stay in Russia anymore," Krynina said. "I was completely disappointed by the Russian state ... I don't want my family and children to be held responsible for the horror that is happening. That's why I went to Ukraine to help." Upon arrival, Krynina faced disappointment. Her partner was not happy about her visit. In an online video published by a Ukrainian YouTuber, the man quietly asks: "Ira, why?" He comes across as tense and confused. While Krynina wants to stay in Ukraine for the time being, Kovtkov is waiting for a prisoner exchange to return to Russia. Today, they are no longer a pair. "I didn't recognize Yevgeny," she said. "He has changed a lot, he is cold, withdrawn and anxious. War and imprisonment change people a lot." In Ukraine, Krynina founded the project "Our Way Out," which enables relatives of Russian prisoners of war to contact them. The initiative was joined by the well-known Russian journalist Viktoria Ivleva, who has been campaigning for Ukraine since 2014 and moved to Kyiv in March 2022. Krynina visits prisoners in camps, records conversations with them, delivers parcels and enables them to make phone calls. The video conversations also serve as proof to prisoners' relatives that they are in captivity, she says, adding that it is difficult to be recognized as a prisoner of war in Russia. Many captured soldiers are often written off as missing, dead, or deserters. Others are still listed as active soldiers, although they cannot be contacted. Krynina says that even Russian conscription offices are now secretly recommending that relatives of prisoners of war contact the project. Its YouTube channel has over 100,000 subscribers and features hundreds of interviews with prisoners who talk about their former lives, why they signed up with the Russian army, and how they were captured. It also features conversations with relatives of Russians who were sent back to the fight in Ukraine after being returned to Russia in a prisoner exchange. Krynina advises those affected to contact journalists and lawyers. "If a prisoner of war does not fight for his rights, does not demand anything, then the state simply sends him back to war," she explains. Despite the risk of former prisoners being sent to fight on Ukrainian soil once again, Krynina wants to continue helping Russian prisoners of war return home. "Every returned Russian also means a returned Ukrainian," she says. "The exchange must continue." When Krynina first arrived, Petro Yatsenko from the Ukrainian military's Coordination Headquarter for the Treatment of Prisoners of War told the news platform Detector Media that she also played a role in "helping Ukraine in the information war against Russia." Krynina says she aims to show "Russians what is really going on." To do this, she travels to the sites of Russian attacks and records videos. She believes that her approach works: "Many of those who are close to someone on the front, I'd say 99%, want all this to stop. Everyone is tired of this war, and no one understands why it is still going on." Krynina is convinced that her videos are one of the reasons why her project was placed on Russia's "foreign agents" blacklist in July 2025. When asked by DW whether she feels guilty for the crimes that Russians have committed in this war, she said: "I can't understand why they're shooting. It's very hard for me to bear." Many Russians condemn Krynina's move to Ukraine, but Ukrainians also have mixed feelings about her. In spring 2025, a post by a customer of a Kyiv fitness club went viral on Facebook. She met Krynina while exercising and was outraged that a Russian citizen was allowed to move freely in Ukraine. Some comments urged the fitness club to deny Krynina access, while others pointed out that she was in the country legally. Krynina says that at first, she feared she would be condemned for speaking Russian, but adds that this not been the case so far. These days, she rents an apartment in Kyiv and her daughters attend a Ukrainian school. She is supported by her ex-husband and works as an accountant on the side. Her work for Our Way Out is voluntary. She tells DW that she hopes to return to a "free Russia" one day, but adds that relations between Russians and Ukrainians will never be the same again. "Russia has brought a lot of suffering and hardship to the Ukrainian people. I think the Russians will feel guilty, but they won't be able to make amends. I don't know if the Ukrainians will be able to forgive the Russians for what they have done. It will be generations before we can even think about peace," she says.


DW
5 hours ago
- DW
Germany updates: Huge turnout for Berlin Pride march – DW – 07/26/2025
Police mounted a major operation to protect the hundreds of thousands of revelers attending the Berlin Pride parade. Also, Merz and Merkel watched the opening performance of the Bayreuth Festival. DW has the latest. Hundreds of thousands of people have gathered in Germany's capital for the Berlin Pride parade, known as Christopher Street Day (CSD), making it one of the largest LGBTQ+ events in Europe. Meanwhile, Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his fellow party member and predecessor, Angela Merkel, attended the opening performance of the Bayreuth Festival. Germany's ports require an additional €15 billion ($18 billion) for refurbishment and expansion over the next decade, the head of the ZDS seaport association has warned. ZDS chief Angela Titzrath told the newspaper that the country's ports suffer from "decaying quays" and a lack of "surfaces that can handle heavy loads." Titzrath said the additional funds would make up just 3% of the government's new budget for upgrading the country's infrastructure. "With that [amount], we could fully and sustainably implement all urgent modernization within 12 years," she told the newspaper. In March, the German parliament approved a historic €500 billion infrastructure fund, with €100 billion earmarked for clean energy and climate mitigation projects. Out of the latter budget, Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government approved an additional €400 million over four years to help modernize shipping and ports in a way that protects the planet. But Titzrath called on Berlin to play a bigger role in port investments by raising the current subsidies from €38 million to €500 million "so that the shortcomings of the past are not repeated." Southern Germany could see up to 150 liters of rainfall per square meter in the next few days, forecasters have warned. The German Weather Service (DWD) said heavy rain and severe thunderstorms were forecast for the weekend and early next week. DWD said the area from the upper Danube River to Augsburg would be hit hardest on Saturday, before spreading to a wider area including Lake Constance and the mountainous Allgäu region, as well as the southern Black Forest. The agency warned of possible flooding in some places. DWD said the 150 liters of rainfall only occur every decade or so. Southern parts of Germany were hit by severe flooding last May and June, while eastern Germany was struck in September. The country is still reeling from devastating floods that hit western states in July 2021, particularly the Ahr Valley, as well as neighboring countries. At least 189 people died in Germany, while another 700 were injured. Those floods caused €33 billion ($40 billion) in economic losses. An injured seal, weighing over 100 kilograms, has been rescued from the banks of the Elbe River in Germany's northern city of Hamburg. The marine mammal was discovered late Friday evening by witnesses who alerted authorities. According to a fire brigade spokesman, the seal had a minor injury to its fin. Rescuers initially planned to transfer the seal to an animal shelter, but it was already full. The animal was then taken to a local wildlife caretaker. Seals are typically found in coastal areas like the North Sea or Wadden Sea, which are over 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Hamburg. The Elbe River is a freshwater environment far inland, not their natural habitat. Navigating the river to Hamburg, seals must travel through strong currents, locks, and human-made obstacles. Germany's renowned Bayreuth Festival of operas by Richard Wagner kicked off on Friday with a new production of "The Master-Singers of Nuremberg." Chancellor Friedrich Merz and former Chancellor Angela Merkel graced the red carpet for opening night, with both political figures reported to be great admirers of Wagner's music. Accompanied by his wife Charlotte, Merz described the evening as a "great production" featuring fantastic stage design and wonderful performers. The chancellor also used the occasion to reaffirm his commitment to the arts in Germany, emphasizing that this includes not only theatre, music and opera but also architecture and modern art. "We will defend this against all those who want it to be different," Merz said. Hundreds of thousands are expected in Germany's capital on Saturday to celebrate Berlin Pride or Christopher Street Day (CSD). A huge parade featuring 80 trucks is expected to pass through the city, starting at Leipziger Platz, then heading to Potsdamer Platz and Schöneberg, before ending at the Brandenburg Gate. The German Police Union (GdP) said Berlin authorities would mount a huge operation to protect the parade in the wake of several car ramming and terrorist attacks and due to the LGBTQ+ community being targeted by far-right extremists. Around 1,300 Berlin police officers will be deployed, supported by hundreds more from other German states. Two counterdemonstrations with an expected 400 participants have also been registered with the Berlin authorities. The Pride celebrations began on Friday with the unfurling of a massive rainbow flag outside the Reichstag building — the home of Germany's parliament. CSD organizers decided to display their own flag after the government rejected a request to hoist an official rainbow flag. Chancellor Friedrich Merz defended the decision, saying, "The Bundestag is not a circus tent," referring to Germany's lower house of parliament. Christopher Street Day is a reference to the location of the Stonewall Inn in New York City's Greenwich Village neighborhood, where a protest against police discrimination in 1969 kick-started the gay liberation movement. Welcome to DW's coverage of the latest developments in Germany on Saturday, July 26. Here you'll find breaking news, business, culture and sports as well as commentary from DW's team of correspondents. Berlin hosts one of Europe's largest LGBTQ+ Pride events, with hundreds of thousands of people expected to turn out for a glitzy parade through the streets of the German capital. The Bayreuth Festival, an annual summer music festival dedicated primarily to the operas of Richard Wagner, got underway on Friday night.