The sons of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, Kasim and Sulaiman Khan, have embarked on a campaign across the United States to garner support for their father’s release from prison. They are meeting with prominent members of Congress, accompanied by Dr. Asif Mahmood, a U.S.-based physician and human rights advocate.

Khan, who was ousted from office in 2022, is currently serving a 14-year sentence on charges widely criticized as politically motivated. His sons are urging U.S. lawmakers to intervene in what they describe as an erosion of democracy and judicial independence in Pakistan. Their efforts have included meetings with Reps. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), and other key figures on Capitol Hill.

“We are here to ask for your support in ensuring the release of our father and the countless others who have been unjustly imprisoned in Pakistan for their political beliefs,” Kasim Khan said during a meeting, according to social media posts.

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, met with the Khan brothers and expressed concerns about the political situation in Pakistan. “I am concerned to hear that Khan remains isolated from his family, friends, attorneys, and doctors. His sons also shared that his physical health may be deteriorating.,” Sherman said in a tweet after his meeting with the Khan family.

Rep. Joe Wilson, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia, also met with the family. He later tweeted, “Grateful to meet Sulaiman Isa Khan and Kasim Khan to discuss their father. Free Imran Khan.”

The brothers are accompanied by Dr. Asif Mahmood, a U.S.-based physician and human rights advocate, who has played a key role in organizing the meetings. Mahmood, a commissioner with the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), has a history of advocacy, including helping to organize a landmark 2012 visit to Capitol Hill by Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the spiritual leader of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

The Khan brothers’ visit also included engagements with members of the Pakistani diaspora in the U.S., where they emphasized the importance of international pressure on Pakistan’s government. Sajjad Burki, the president of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) USA, has been coordinating many of these efforts and shared updates of the meetings on social media.

Khan, a former cricket star turned politician, remains one of Pakistan’s most popular leaders. His party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has faced widespread arrests and harassment since his removal from office.