Claim: Viral posts claim that the former premier of Pakistan, Imran Khan, was killed in prison.
Fact: Khan is alive, the claim is false.
On 26 November, many social media users claimed the former PTI chairman had died while imprisoned. The Afghanistan Times, a page on X that claims to bring news from Afghanistan and the region, put up the following post on X:
“A credible source from Pakistan has confirmed to Afghanistan Times that PTI Chairman Imran Khan has allegedly been mysteriously killed, and his body has been moved out of the prison.”
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check spoke to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, who said, “No such information available. This is nothing more than a rumour.”
Moreover, the PTI’s official X page posted the following message:
[Translation: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s response and demand from the government regarding rumours about former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s well-being:
Abominable rumours are being spread about the well-being of former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan through Afghan and India media platforms and foreign social media accounts.
We demand the incumbent government and the interior ministry to immediately deny this rumour and arrange a meeting between Mr.Imran Khan and his family.
A transparent and official statement should be issued regarding Chairman Imran Khan’s health, well-being and current status. The people who spread rumours of such sensitive rumours should be investigated and facts should be brought before the public.
The public will not tolerate any uncertainty or ambiguous rumour about their leader.
Imran Khan’s well-being, human rights and protection of constitutional rights are the government’s direct responsibility.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf assures the public that we will take every legal and political step to prevent such rumours and bring the truth to the surface.
From
Central Information Department
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf]
Protest outside Adiala Jail
These rumours surfaced at a time when Khan’s sisters have been repeatedly denied a meeting with him, according to Dawn. This led them to question the whereabouts of their brother and hold sit-ins outside Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.
In a video posted on the official X page of PTI USA, one of the former cricketer’s sisters, Aleema Khan, said it worries them when they hear rumours that suggest Khan has been shifted from Adiala Jail. She added, “they have made such a place, but we don’t know anything. Since three weeks there has been no news of Imran Khan…”
Virality
The posts about Khan’s death by verified X users can be found here, here, here, here and here. It was shared here and here by other X users.
On Facebook, posts about Khan’s death can be found here, here, here and here.
On Instagram, similar posts can be found here, here and here.
Conclusion: Claims about Imran Khan’s death are false. PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja told Soch Fact Check the rumours are not true and the PTI released an official statement denying the viral claims.