The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim

Episode: Bondi, Imran Khan’s sons speak out and is a deal close in Ukraine?
Date: December 17, 2025

Overview of Episode

In this episode, Yalda Hakim (Sky News) and Richard Engel (NBC) navigate three major international stories:

1. The tragic terror attack on Sydney’s Bondi Beach and its reverberations in Australia.
2. Significant developments in Ukraine peace negotiations, with President Trump and President Zelensky central to the latest shifts.
3. A rare, emotional interview with Imran Khan’s sons, Qasem and Suleiman, as the family faces his prolonged imprisonment in Pakistan.

The episode blends frontline reporting, insightful analysis, and deeply personal moments, highlighting both the macro-level stakes and intimate human consequences behind headlines.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Bondi Beach Terror Attack: Personal and Societal Impact

[02:47–12:03]

• Yalda Hakim’s deep personal connection to Bondi Beach, describing it as her childhood home and a centerpiece of Australian identity.
• Both hosts emphasize that such an attack is "unheard of" in Australia, a country more associated with "bushfires or freak weather" than terrorism.

Key Details of the Attack:

• Largest mass killing in Australia in nearly 30 years.
• Perpetrated by a father and son; the father a former Indian student, the son previously investigated for extremism links.
• ISIS flag reportedly found in suspects’ car.
• The attack targeted a Hanukkah celebration and deeply affected the Jewish community, which numbers around 120,000 in Australia.

Heroism Emerges:

• Syrian asylum seeker Ahmed al Ahmad is globally hailed as a hero for tackling the gunman and saving lives, even as he was shot twice.
  • Yalda Hakim: “Ahmed Al Ahmed, the Syrian asylum seeker, will be celebrated as a hero and a testament to what Australian society is.” [09:19]
• Other bystanders, Boris and Sophia German, were also killed while intervening.

Notable Quotes:

• Yalda Hakim: “This sort of thing just does not happen in a place like Australia... It really has shaken us to the core.” [05:09]
• Richard Engel: “What kind of children or future are we living to our children? ... That’s why we both make sure we take them to school and spend a lot of time with them and try and show them as much love and compassion and concern so they don’t grow up violent little psychopaths.” [10:47]

Broader Concerns:

• The attack raises urgent questions about anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, Australia’s gun laws, and the resilience of multicultural society.

2. Ukraine Peace Talks: Progress and Sticking Points

[13:01–19:58]

• U.S. President Trump has declared that peace is “closer than ever”, but both hosts express skepticism about how much genuine progress has been made.
  • Richard Engel: “President Trump says we’re closer than ever to a deal now. He says that kind of thing all the time. Every day.” [13:01]
• The major development: President Zelensky has dropped Ukraine’s demand for immediate NATO membership, seen as pivotal for movement in talks.

What’s on the Table:

• U.S. and Europeans considering “NATO-like guarantees”, tighter military integration, and potentially European peacekeepers—without Ukraine joining NATO outright.
• The peace proposal would force Ukraine to relinquish about 2,000 square miles still under their control in the Donbas region.

Major Concerns:

• The central sticking point is territorial: Any agreement may require Ukraine to surrender cities and land still under its control while Russia gives up little.
• Proposals for a “free economic zone” in the contested area are criticized as historically unworkable.
  • Richard Engel: “These designated gray spaces never work. They generally just create a place of chaos that starts the next war.” [18:55]

European Perspective:

• Some European leaders are calling guarantees “remarkable,” but Richard points out Kremlin acceptance is not at all assured.

3. Imran Khan’s Imprisonment: Sons Break Their Silence

[21:16–43:26]

Background:

• Pakistan’s former PM, Imran Khan, remains in solitary confinement with hundreds of charges, including corruption and leaking state secrets.
• The military, under General Asim Munir, has asserted unprecedented power—including lifetime immunity.

Rare Interview with Qasem and Suleiman Khan:

• Yalda interviews Khan’s sons, who have mostly stayed silent but speak out now, desperate for international attention.
• The sons describe “awful” conditions: “death cell” atmosphere, lack of light, dirty water, limited access to his physician, and extreme isolation.
  • Qasem Khan: “The conditions are awful. They’re like, they’re not bad, they’re awful.” [29:33]
  • Suleiman Khan: “It’s been described as a death cell... just completely substandard conditions.” [29:38]

Disputed Narrative on Prison Conditions:

• Pakistani government spokesperson Musharraf Zaidi claims Khan is not isolated, citing hundreds of family and legal visits, and access to medical care.
• Yalda challenges these claims with UN concerns about human rights violations.

Feeling of Powerlessness:

• Khan’s sons detail the stress of learning about rumors of their father’s death via social media, feeling “helpless” and cut off.
  • Qasem Khan: “You go on Twitter and suddenly you see just, you know, Imran Khan dead... It’s obviously very jarring...” [30:37]

On Trying to Visit:

• The sons want to visit their father in January, now that officials have said they are “welcome”, though they express ongoing doubts about access.

Their Message to the World:

• Urge for international leaders to maintain pressure for basic rights, rule of law, and independent monitoring of Imran Khan’s case.
  • Suleiman Khan: “At minimum, just make sure that the standards of international human rights are being upheld and right now they’re clearly being violated.” [35:27]
• Strong criticism of the Pakistani government and military as corrupt, accusing them of “rigging” the 2024 election.
  • Qasem Khan: “They are the lowest of the low. They’ll do whatever it takes... torture, disrespecting democracy, and rigging an election.” [36:43]
• On prospects for Imran Khan’s release, optimism is waning:
  • Qasem Khan: “We’re now worried we might never see him again.” [39:03]
  • Suleiman Khan: “He’s the most popular person in the country by a landslide. The moment he’s out there’s no chance they’ll hold on to power.” [42:32]
• The sons plan further advocacy, possibly traveling to Brussels or Geneva to lobby officials.

Reflective, Personal Moments:

• Qasem recalls their father refusing to talk about himself and focusing on his children’s lives:
  • Qasem Khan: “He wants to just kind of take in, absorb as much about what we’re doing as possible, so he... doesn't have to dwell on his situation.” [33:33]
• Both brothers reflect on lobbying for their father’s release and the harsh reality that “no leader of the country, a prime minister of Pakistan, hasn’t spent time in prison.” [42:29]

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

Bondi Attack:

• Yalda Hakim [05:09]: “This sort of thing just does not happen in a place like Australia... It really has shaken us to the core.”
• Richard Engel [08:21]: “...the video of the younger man just hit a bolt action rifle... and the image of this Syrian refugee diving and tackling that man... that image also, one that is indelible.”

Ukraine Negotiations:

• Richard Engel [13:01]: “President Trump says we’re closer than ever to a deal now. He says that kind of thing all the time...”
• Richard Engel [18:55]: “These designated gray spaces never work. They generally just create a place of chaos that starts the next war.”

Imran Khan’s Sons:

• Suleiman Khan [29:38]: “It’s been described as a death cell... just completely substandard conditions that don’t meet international law.”
• Qasem Khan [36:43]: “They are the lowest of the low. They’ll do whatever it takes... It’s a crooked system run by crooked people.”
• Suleiman Khan [35:27]: “At minimum, just make sure that the standards of international human rights are being upheld and right now they’re clearly being violated.”

Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment/Content | |------------|----------------| | 02:47–12:03 | Bondi Beach attack: discussion, personal reflection, details of perpetrators & response | | 13:01–19:58 | Ukraine peace talks: Trump/Zelensky, sticking points, European perspectives | | 21:16–29:15 | Background on Imran Khan’s imprisonment, power dynamics in Pakistan | | 29:18–43:26 | Extended interview with Imran Khan’s sons: prison conditions, advocacy, personal stories |

Tone and Style

The conversation is empathetic but unvarnished, blending lived experience (especially from Yalda) with dry humor (Richard on parenting and politics), and offering a platform for sincere, emotional testimony (Imran Khan’s sons). The reporting is analytical and humane, capturing both the grand geopolitical stakes and the human pain underlying headline events.

For First-Time Listeners

This episode is a model of deeply informed, accessible foreign affairs journalism, blending eyewitness testimony, high-level interviews, and frontline analysis. It’s especially valuable for its rare personal insight into Imran Khan’s family, and for contextualizing breaking stories in Ukraine and Australia.