Is Imran Khan still alive? Family, marriages and the life behind Pakistan’s ex-PM amid death rumours

File photo of former Pakistan PM Imran Khan and his ex-wife Jemima Khan dating back to September 16, 2002.

Rumours surrounding the death of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan have been circulating for days, creating widespread concern both inside and outside the country. His family has accused the government of keeping him in isolation for weeks, while reports have also claimed that he has been beaten in jail. Despite these allegations, Pakistani authorities insist that Imran is “fully healthy and receiving complete medical attention.” As his son and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party demand “proof of life,” questions have grown about the man and the family that has long stood beside him.

Imran Khan was born on 5 October 1952 in Lahore to Ikramullah Khan Niazi and Shaukat Khanum. His father was a civil engineer from Mianwali who studied at Imperial College London and later worked for Pakistan’s Public Welfare Department. His mother was a gentle and respected homemaker from the Burki Pashtun tribe. Her death in 1985 had a lasting effect on Imran and inspired him to establish a cancer hospital in her name. Speaking about her suffering, he once said, “I saw someone that close to me, for two months, in extreme pain… I think that suffering touched me very deeply. It was like a watershed in my life.”

ALSO READ: Imran Khan ‘tortured’, kept in solitary confinement, alleges family; Sharif’s aide insists he is ‘fit and fine’

Imran shares a close bond with his four sisters. Rubina Khanum, the eldest, is a London School of Economics graduate who worked with the United Nations. Aleema Khanum is well known as an entrepreneur and philanthropist and remains active in Imran’s charitable institutions. Uzma Khanum, a surgeon, and Rani Khanum, involved in charity work, largely stay away from public attention. Jemima Goldsmith once described them as “strong educated women with lives of their own”.

Imran’s personal life has often drawn public interest. His first marriage was to British heiress Jemima Goldsmith in 1995. After moving to Pakistan and adapting to local culture, their marriage ended in 2004. The two remain on good terms. His second wife, Reham Khan, a journalist, was married to him briefly in 2015 before their relationship ended. She later released a controversial book accusing him of drug use and misconduct, which his supporters called a smear campaign.

His third and current wife is Bushra Bibi, a faith healer and Sufi figure. The two married secretly in 2018. Bushra has also faced legal troubles and is currently in jail.

Imran has two sons with Jemima. Sulaiman Isa Khan, born in 1996, lives in the UK and is described as academically inclined. Kasim Khan, born in 1999, studied Islamic History and has recently spoken out, demanding transparency about his father’s condition.

Imran is also said to have fathered a daughter, Tyrian Jade Khan, with socialite Sita White. Tyrian was born in the United States in 1992 and a US judge later ruled Imran to be her father after he refused to take a paternity test.