The PTI has called on authorities to set up a meeting between the former prime minister and his family and has requested an explanation from the government over recent “rumours” regarding the health of imprisoned party founder Imran Khan.
The incident coincides with Imran’s sisters’ repeated refusal to meet with him in recent weeks, which has prompted them to hold sit-ins outside the Adiala jail and enquire about the former prime minister’s location. Additionally, a number of X social media accounts have posted unsubstantiated reports of his passing, and Indian media has also covered the purported health rumours. On Thursday morning, the question “Where is Imran Khan?” was also popular on X.
The party said that “rumours of a despicable nature” about Imran’s health were being disseminated by “Afghan and Indian media, and foreign social media accounts” in a statement released early on Thursday on X.
“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,” the party requested.
The party called for “a formal and transparent statement regarding the health, security, and current status of Imran to be issued on behalf of the state.”
It further requested that the “facts be presented before the nation” and urged the authorities to look into individuals guilty for disseminating rumours of a “sensitive nature.”
“The nation will not tolerate any uncertainty regarding the status of its leader (Imran),” the party cautioned in a statement.
The party declared that “the government is directly responsible for protecting Imran’s security, human rights, and constitutional rights.” Additionally, the PTI pledged to use “every legal and political step to counter these rumours and bring the truth to light.”
Meher Bano Qureshi, a PTI leader and the daughter of former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, expressed concern on X about speculations about Imran’s health.
The government is obligated to provide an update to the country and is in charge of Khan Sahib’s safety. Allowing Khan Sahib’s sisters, solicitors and party members to meet with him is the greatest and most reliable method to put an end to these allegations, she said.
The allegation of “Afghan origin” is refuted
Separately, “false claims by Afghan and Indian social media alleging that Imran had been killed in jail” were refuted by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MOIB).
An unconfirmed report that Imran was slain while in jail and that his body was relocated was spread by anonymous Afghan accounts. The ministry’s official fact-checking cell stated on X that two old images from 2013 and 2022 were used by Indian outlets to reiterate the rumour as “new evidence.”
“Disinformation originated from two Afghan propaganda handles known for fabrications,” the statement continued.
“Their posts are
Only 46 minutes separated their posts, which is a blatant sign of a coordinated effort rather than independent reporting. Both accounts fraudulently claimed a “Pakistani source” confirmed the death but provided no evidence, proof, or institutional verification,” it said.
The account clarified that Imran’s images from 2022 and 2013 were the “fresh evidence” used by the accounts.
The “first image used to support the rumour is actually from 2013, when Imran fell from a forklift stage during an election rally,” according to the fact-checking account.
It further stated, “Afghan and Indian networks repurposed this 12-year-old image to imply a recent incident inside jail.”
“At 12:06pm PKT, Republic TV aired a false claim of ‘PTI supporters storming Adiala Jail,” it explained. It further stated that Republic TV in India began airing the rumour “within hours,” and other Indian media channels followed at 3 p.m., all of which were “relying on the same two Afghan accounts.”
The fact-checking account explained that the second image posted by the Afghan-origin accounts was from an assassination attempt on Imran in Wazirabad on November 4, 2022.
It stated, “This photo has no connection to jail or custody and predates Imran’s imprisonment.”
The account went on to explain how the rumour was spread by the Indian media, stating that “despite PTI representatives telling Indian channels that no such information existed, the rumour was aired repeatedly.”
“No government agency, hospital, official, or journalist confirmed any abnormal development,” it stated.
The article, using Republic TV as an example, said that even after acknowledging that the rumour originated in Afghanistan, Indian broadcasters continued to broadcast it as a “possible developing story.”
It further stated that the “routine, court-ordered family visitation schedule” was distorted as “suspicious” by the Indian media.
It stated, “Jail meetings actually follow judicial guidelines, not intelligence or law enforcement discretion.”
The “timing, coordination, and rapid cross-border amplification suggest a deliberate attempt to create unrest within Pakistan,” according to the account.
It claimed that the rumour was intended to create a false sense of instability, incite discontent, and support anti-state narratives.
“Imran has a TV and is permitted to use an exercise machine while incarcerated.”
Khawaja Asif, the PML-N leader and minister of defence, reacted earlier on Wednesday to a video on X in which Imran chastised former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for requesting facilities while incarcerated.
“Imran has a television in his cell. and he gets his nourishment from outside,” he asserted.
“He can also use the exercise machines,” he continued.