ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): Afghan and Indian social media has alleged that Chairman PTI Imran Khan has been “killed in jail by ISI”.
Anonymous Afghan accounts posted an unverified claim that Imran Khan had been mysteriously killed inside prison and that his body had been moved elsewhere.
Indian media amplified the rumour using two old photographs of Imran Khan, one from 2013 and another from 2022, to present them as recent evidence.
Fact: Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has clarified that claims circulating on Afghan and Indian social media alleging that Chairman PTI Imran Khan has been “killed in jail by ISI” are fake.
The reality is that the disinformation began from fabricated Afghan handles operating from Afghanistan and India. These accounts claimed that a “credible Pakistani source” had confirmed Imran Khan’s death, despite offering no verification, documentation, or institutional basis.
Two Afghan accounts initiated the rumour only an hour apart. The entire story started from two anonymous Afghan accounts known for disinformation.
Their posts were 46 minutes apart, and neither provided evidence, details, or corroboration.
The tight timing suggests coordinated narrative pushing rather than independent reporting.
Misuse of a 2013 stage-fall injury photograph
The first image circulated is from 2013, when Imran Khan was injured after falling from a forklift stage during an election rally.
Afghan and Indian networks repurposed this 12-year-old picture to create the false impression of a recent custodial incident.
Republic TV first aired an unrelated fabricated claim, then lifted the Afghan rumour.
At 12:06 pm PST, Republic TV ran a false segment claiming PTI supporters were “storming Adiala Jail.”
Within the next two hours, without verification, the channel began airing the second rumour, taken directly from the Afghan posts at 11:00 am and 11:46 am, suggesting Imran Khan had been killed in custody.
Indian outlets relied entirely on these two fake accounts as their “basis.” All Indian media started posting at 3 PM PST onwards quoting those accounts.
Imran Khan’s second photograph also unrelated
The second photo is from 4 November 2022, the date of an assassination attempt in Wazirabad where Imran Khan sustained leg injuries.
This image predates his incarceration entirely and has no connection to any jail environment.
Indian media amplified an unverified Afghan rumour. After Afghan propaganda accounts circulated the claim, Indian media picked it up without verification.
PTI representatives contacted by Indian channels stated there is no such information and no confirmation of any abnormal development.
Indian outlets admitted the rumor was Afghan-origin. Despite acknowledging that the rumor was first posted by Afghan accounts, certain Indian channels continued discussing it as a developing story, fueling public confusion and giving credibility to an unverified foreign narrative.
Misleading speculation about visitation restrictions
Indian media attempted to portray court-ordered visitation rules as suspicious. In reality, all family meetings are regulated by court instructions, not by intelligence agencies or law enforcement.
Converting a judicial procedure into a conspiracy theory reflects intentional manipulation.
Objective behind the disinformation
The coordinated push by Afghan and Indian networks suggests a deliberate attempt to create unrest inside Pakistan.
Constructing a false narrative of custodial killing was aimed at provoking agitation, damaging national stability, and manufacturing a civil-war-like perception.
Verdict
The claim that Imran Khan has been killed in custody is entirely false. Both photographs used to support the rumor are old and unrelated.
The disinformation originated from Afghan propaganda accounts and was amplified by Indian media without any verification.
No credible authority has reported or confirmed any such incident.
The Ministry of Information has advised people to verify full context before accepting social media rumors.
It further advised to treat sensational claims from anonymous foreign accounts with caution and don’t rely on old photographs being recycled as evidence.
