Claim: During an interview for Real America’s Voice, former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s son Kasim Khan said that he was looking towards Israel to help secure his father’s release from prison.
Fact: The caption of the post makes a false claim. Kasim Khan did not make any such statement in the accompanying clip in the claim or throughout the interview in question.
X user @DrSyedaSadaf_ posted a clip of Kasim Khan from an interview for Real America’s Voice, writing, “میرے والد عمران خان نے امریکہ سے آذادی مانگ کر غلطی کی تھی۔ ہم اس پر شرمندہ ہیں، اب امریکہ سے ہماری گزارش ہے کہ وہ عمران خان کو آذاد کرائیں
ہماری نظریں اسرائیل کی طرف ہے میرے والد عمران خان اسرائیل کے لئے بہت کچھ کیا ہے اب وہ بھی ہماری مدد کریں۔ قاسم گولڈ اسمتھ
@Kasim_Khan_1999”
[Translation: My father Imran Khan made a mistake by demanding freedom from America. We are ashamed of this, and now we request America to free Imran Khan.
Our eyes are on Israel; my father Imran Khan has done a lot for Israel, and now they should help us too. Kasim Goldsmith
@Kasim_Khan_1999]
The caption suggests that Khan’s son can be observed making this statement in the accompanying clip. However, he does not mention Israel anywhere in this clip itself.
Imran Khan’s sons’ campaign
In July, Imran Khan’s sons, Sulaiman and Kasim Khan, launched a campaign calling for their father’s release from prison. They visited the US, where they met the US envoy for special missions, Richard Grenell and Dr Asif Mahmood of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.
Grenell, who has previously voiced support for Khan’s release, shared on X on 23 July that he met with Sulaiman and Kasim in California and encouraged them to “stay strong.”
Around the same time, Dr Mahmood, vice chairman of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), also shared a picture on X with Grenell and the ex-premier’s sons, writing:
“Immense pride for @Kasim_Khan_1999 and Sulaiman Khan for their bravery in fighting for their father, Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s freedom, who has been unjustly imprisoned by the Pakistani military!
Huge thanks to my friend Amb. @RichardGrenell for standing for justice and principle.
Let’s unite for #FreeImranKhan!”
At the start of July, Aleema Khan announced that the two brothers would head to the US before coming to Pakistan to join the movement seeking their father’s release. While the government has not formally commented, Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik stated, the brothers are legally barred from participating in domestic political activities, “though some PML-N leaders believe they should be allowed to campaign within legal limits,” according to Pakistan Today.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check found the claim dubious because, in the viral clip itself, Kasim Khan did not mention Israel at any point. Still, we watched the full interview available on Real America Voice’s website to independently verify if Israel was mentioned in the interview at some point.
At 1:31, the host, Amanda Head, asked: “Who are some of your dad’s allies? Who are those people, maybe in Pakistan or across the globe, who can help?”
Khan replied: “So, we’re looking to America at the moment because, you know, a lot of the people here have expressed concern. It seems like it might be the only kind of route out at the moment because it seems like the establishment over there aren’t responding to the UN or Amnesty International’s statement saying it’s an unlawful incarceration, so we’re looking to America at the moment.”
The rest of the interview focused on Imran Khan’s jail conditions and Kasim Khan’s efforts to secure his father’s release. At no point did Kasim Khan say that his father made a mistake by seeking freedom from America, express support for Israel or suggest that Israel should help free him from jail.
Virality
The claim was shared here (archive) on Facebook.
On X, it was shared here, here, and here. Archived here, here, and here.
Conclusion: The caption of the post makes a false claim. Kasim Khan did not say that he was looking towards Israel to secure his father’s release during an interview on Real Voice America.
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Background image in cover photo: Real Voice America
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