Claim: An image shows former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid shaking hands with Imran Khan.
Fact: Two separate photographs were used to create the viral image.
On 17 November, Najam Wali Khan, a broadcast journalist at PTV news, shared an image showing Imran Khan shaking hands with Sheikh Hasina, writing, “حسینہ واجد کو بنگلہ دیش میں سزائے موت اڈیالہ میں بند اس فتنے کے مستقبل بارے اشارہ ہے جو پاکستان میں غدار وطن شیخ مجیب کو ولن سے ہیرو بنا رہا تھا ۔۔”
[Translation: The death sentence of Hasina Wajid in Bangladesh at Adiala [jail] is an indication of the fate of the mischief that, in Pakistan, was turning the traitor of the nation Sheikh Mujibur into a hero from a villain.]
The following day, journalist Rizwan Razi, also shared the image, writing, “مودی چالاک تھا، فون نہیں سنا، اس لئے بچ گیا
ورنہ اس سے جس نے بھی ہاتھ ملایا
وہ گیا
😂”
[Translation: Modi was clever; he didn’t answer the phone, so he got away. Otherwise, whoever shook hands with him would have been doomed. 😂]
Sheikh Hasina sentenced to death
On 17 November, Bangladesh’s former prime minister, Sheikh Hasina Wajid, was sentenced to death for crimes against humanity over her crackdown on student-led protests, which led to her ousting last year. Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom died during the unrest.
A panel of three judges from the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), Bangladesh’s domestic war crimes court, delivered their verdict, ruling that Hasina was responsible for inciting hundreds of extrajudicial killings carried out by law enforcement, reported CNN. She has been staying in self-imposed exile in India’s capital, New Delhi, since August 2024. She was not present at the court in Dhaka. Hasina had pleaded not guilty to the charges and alleged the tribunal was a “politically motivated charade”, according to The Guardian. The UN human rights office described the sentencing as “an important moment for victims” but said Hasina should not have been sentenced to death, the report added.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check doubted the authenticity of the image due to a stark difference in the background between the sides where Sheikh Hasina and Imran Khan stood. Hasina’s face and clothing display harsh lighting, with a cooler colour tone, while Khan and the background appear warmer with softer lighting. The former Bangladeshi prime minister’s hands also appear misaligned and blurry, indicating that the handshake was created by merging two different photos.
These inconsistencies suggested that the image was edited.
Soch Fact Check cropped the image and reverse-searched Hasina’s side, leading to a photograph published by Getty Images on 28 May 2016, titled “PM Abe meets Asian and African leaders”. The image shows Sheikh Hasina shaking hands with former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The caption reads: “Nagoya, Japan – May 28: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina shake hands prior to their meeting on May 28, 2016 in Nagoya, Japan. Abe holds a bilateral meeting with leaders from Asia and Africa who attended the outreach meeting of the Group of Seven summit. (Photo by The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images)”
A subsequent reverse-search for Khan’s portion of the image lead to a photograph shared on the PTI’s website titled “Foreign Minister of Iran calls on Prime Minister Imran Khan”. It shows Khan shaking hands with former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. The caption reads: “Mohammad Javad Zarif Khonsari, foreign minister of Iran called on Prime Minister Imran Khan today on his second visit during the past two months. Iranian FM is visiting Pakistan to discuss relations between the two countries and issues of mutual interest, including the recovery of 12 Iranian border security guards.”
This image was also shared on Imran Khan’s official Facebook account on 31 October 2018.
This confirms that the viral image was fabricated by editing two unrelated photographs of Sheikh Hasina and Imran Khan.
Virality
The image was shared on Facebook here, here, here, and here. Archived here, here, here, and here.
On X, it was shared here, here, here, here, and here. Archived here, here, here, here, and here.
Conclusion: A viral image of Imran Khan shaking hands with Sheikh Hasina is doctored.
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Background image in cover photo: X
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