Jailed former Pakistani PM’s party demands clarification from govt about his health

ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has demanded a clarification from the government regarding recent rumours about the health of

jailed party founder Imran Khan

, calling on authorities to arrange a meeting between the former prime minister and his family.

The development comes as Khan’s sisters have in recent weeks been repeatedly denied a meeting with him, leading them to question his whereabouts and stage sit-ins outside the Adiala jail.

Several social media accounts on X have also shared unverified claims of his death, with Indian media also reporting on the alleged rumours about his health. The trend ‘Where is Imran Khan?’ was also trending on X on the morning of Nov 27.

In a statement issued early on Nov 27 on X, the party said “rumours of a despicable nature” were being spread from “Afghan and Indian media, and foreign social media accounts” regarding Khan’s health.

The party demanded that the “current government and the Interior Ministry immediately and clearly dismiss and clarify the rumour and immediately arrange a meeting between Imran and his family”.

“A formal and transparent statement should be issued on behalf of the state regarding the health, security and current status of Imran,” the party demanded.

It further called on the state to investigate those responsible for spreading rumours of a “sensitive nature” and demanded that the “facts be presented before the nation”.

The party, in its statement, warned that “the nation will not tolerate any uncertainty regarding the status of its leader (Imran)”.

“The government is directly responsible for protecting Imran’s security, human rights and constitutional rights,” the party said. The PTI also vowed to take “every legal and political step to counter these rumours and bring the truth to light”.

Meanwhile, PTI leader Meher Bano Qureshi, who is also the daughter of former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, said on X that rumours regarding Khan’s health were concerning.

“The government is responsible for Khan sahib’s safety and is duty-bound to issue a statement updating the nation. As far as putting an end to these rumours goes, the best, most credible way possible is to allow Khan sahib’s sisters, lawyers and party members to meet with him,” she said.

‘Afghan origin’ claim debunked

Separately, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting debunked “false claims by Afghan and Indian social media alleging that Khan had been killed in jail”.

“Anonymous Afghan accounts circulated an unverified rumour that Imran was killed in custody and his body moved. Indian outlets repeated the rumour using two old photos from 2013 and 2022 as ‘fresh evidence’,” the ministry’s official fact-checking cell said on X.

It added that “disinformation originated from two Afghan propaganda handles known for fabrications”.

“Their posts appeared only 46 minutes apart, a clear indication of a coordinated attempt rather than independent reporting. Both accounts falsely claimed a “Pakistani source” confirmed the death but provided no documentation, proof, or institutional verification,” it said.

The account clarified that the photos of Khan used by the accounts, and presented as “fresh evidence”, dated back to 2022 and 2013.

The fact-checking account said that the “first image used to support the rumour is actually from 2013, when Imran fell from a forklift stage during an election rally”.

“Afghan and Indian networks repurposed this 12-year-old image to imply a recent incident inside jail,” it added.

It detailed that “at 12.06pm PKT, Republic TV aired a false claim of ‘PTI supporters storming Adiala Jail’”. It added that “within hours”, India’s Republic TV started running the rumour as well, followed by other Indian outlets at 3pm — all of whom were “relying on the same two Afghan accounts”.

Tracing the origin of the second picture used by the Afghan-origin accounts, the fact-checking account clarified that the picture was from Nov 4, 2022, from an assassination attempt on Khan in Wazirabad.

“This photo predates Imran’s imprisonment and has zero connection to jail or custody,” it said.

Elaborating on the Indian media’s role in amplifying the rumour, the account said that “despite PTI representatives telling Indian channels that no such information existed, the rumour was aired repeatedly”.

“No journalist, official, hospital, or government agency confirmed any abnormal development,” it said.

Citing Republic TV as an example, the account said that Indian channels continued to run the rumour as a “possible developing story” despite admitting that the rumour was of Afghan origin.

It added that the Indian media also misrepresented the “routine, court-ordered family visitation schedule as ‘suspicious’.

“In reality, jail meetings follow judicial guidelines, not intelligence or law enforcement discretion,” it said.

The account noted that the “timing, coordination, and rapid cross-border amplification suggest a deliberate attempt to create unrest within Pakistan”.

“The rumour was designed to provoke agitation, fuel anti-state narratives, and manufacture a false sense of instability,” it said.

Imran has TV, allowed use of exercise machine in jail

Earlier on Nov 26, Defence Minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Khawaja Asif had responded to a video on X in which Khan criticised ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif for demanding amenities while in jail.

“He (Khan) himself has a TV in his jail cell... and his food comes from outside,” Mr Asif claimed.

“There are exercise machines available for him as well,” he added.

Mr Asif, recalling his time in prison, said: “We used to sleep on the cold floor and eat the food (prepared) at the jail.”

He continued: “It was the month of January, and we had only two blankets, and there was no hot water.”

On the other hand, Khan, he alleged, had “a double bed and velvet bedding”, claiming that the jail superintendent personally tended to him.

Mr Asif called on the PTI founder to “listen to his own speech on the jail’s loudspeaker”, adding that “he (Khan) should fear God.”

Khan, imprisoned since August 2023, is serving a sentence at the Adiala jail in a £190 million (S$326 million) corruption case and also faces pending trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act related to the protests of May 9, 2023.

PTI has previously also raised concerns over the health of Khan, who is 73-years-old. DAWN/ASIA NEWS NETWORK