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Tag: Imran Khan

  • FACT CHECK: No, Aleema Khan did not blame Pakistan or military leadership for May clashes with India

    FACT CHECK: No, Aleema Khan did not blame Pakistan or military leadership for May clashes with India

    A video circulating online falsely shows journalist Yalda Hakim of Sky News questioning Aleema Khan, sister of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, about “war” between Pakistan and India, referencing to the military clashes that took place between the two nuclear-armed countries in May. 


    The clip includes a series of political statements that Aleema seemingly says, including blaming senior Pakistani military leadership for the war, however, none of them appear in the original interview. The footage has been digitally altered while the source of the manipulated version remains unclear.


    Yalda Hakim herself tweeted about the deepfake, saying: “This is terrifying, a deepfake of my interview with Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, is circulating. It falsely claims we discussed the Pakistan-India war earlier this year. We did NOT. This clip is completely fake.”



    The conversation, which runs from 13:21 to 17:37 in Hakim’s Sky News program The World with Yalda Hakim does not address any conflict, foreign policy issue, or cross-border tensions.

    Instead, Hakim focuses on reports about Imran Khan’s wellbeing injail, speculation surrounding his health, and claims that his family had limited access to him. She also questions why he had been prevented from seeing his lawyer despite court orders.

    In the real clip, Aleema Khan says her sister Uzma Khan visited Imran and reported that he appeared physically stable, noting his daily exercise and reading routine. She adds that he has not been allowed to read for several weeks and that he voiced strong discontent over prolonged solitary confinement, which he regards as unlawful under both local and international standards. She also highlights the wider uncertainty caused by limited information about his condition.

    The manipulated clip circulating online does not reflect this exchange. None of the statements about a “war,” geopolitical motives, or political characterisations were part of the actual interview. They were inserted into the altered version and do not correspond to anything said in the verified footage.

    The authentic interview remains limited to concerns regarding Imran Khan’s health, isolation, and access to legal counsel, with no discussion of an armed conflict at any point.

  • ‘Bushra Bibi received tips from intelligence officials, passed them on to Imran Khan as predictions’

    ‘Bushra Bibi received tips from intelligence officials, passed them on to Imran Khan as predictions’

    British news and current affairs journal The Economist has narrated “a story circulating in Pakistan” to claim how former first lady Bushra Bibi relayed information from intelligence sources to Imran Khan, presenting them as “revelations about the future”.

    In an article titled ‘The mystic, the cricketer and the spy: Pakistan’s game of thrones’ on Khan’s marriage to his spiritual adviser, The Economist quoted “rumours” to revisit the political influence attributed to Bushra, her relationship with her husband, and the controversies that shaped the former premier’s time in power. 

    It said that intelligence officers conveyed tips to one of Bushra’s pirs, who would relay them to her, and she would then share the same with Khan.

    “According to the rumours, the officer would, for example, give one of Bushra Bibi’s pirs advance notice about which politician was about to be arrested. Bushra Bibi would then tell Khan that she had received a revelation about the future. When the event she predicted came to pass, Khan would be amazed at his wife’s perspicacity and conclude she did indeed have a direct line to God,” The Economist stated.

    While it added that “man rumours in Pakistan turn out not to be true, and much about this story remains opaque”, it quoted a senior Pakistani intelligence officer, speaking off the record, describing the broad outlines of the influence operation to 1843.

    “People close to Khan are convinced it happened,” The Economist said, also quoting former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and federal minister Faisal Vawda, who said this was how Khan started to get blinded.

    “It’s unclear from these accounts whether Bushra Bibi would have known she was being used in this way — it’s quite possible that she didn’t,” the publication wrote.

    It also detailed accounts from family members and former household staff, recounting claims by her former husband about concerns over her closeness to Khan, the couple’s eventual marriage in 2018, and allegations — denied by PTI — that she engaged in black magic and exercised significant influence over political and personal decisions.

    With both Khan and Bushra Bibi in prison on corruption charges, speculation continues within the PTI ranks about her potential influence on the former’s decisions regarding possible political compromise. The Economist report noted that opinions within the party vary, with some senior figures urging Khan to stand firm while others believe Bushra Bibi may encourage a negotiated path forward.

  • Islamabad High Court allows Imran Khan to hold meetings with persons on Salman Akram Raja’s list

    Islamabad High Court allows Imran Khan to hold meetings with persons on Salman Akram Raja’s list

    The Islamabad High Court has directed the Superintendent of Adiala Jail to allow meetings between former Prime Minister Imran Khan and the individuals named on the list provided by his lawyer Salman Akram Raja.

    According to reports, a two-member bench comprising Justice Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Azam Khan heard the petitions related to Imran Khan’s jail meetings. During the hearing, Advocate General Punjab Amjad Pervez, Salman Akram Raja, and the Superintendent of Adiala Jail appeared before the court.

    Advocate General Punjab requested the court to declare the earlier decision of a single bench null and void, arguing that the rules that were suspended are not federal but fall under Punjab’s jurisdiction after the 18th Amendment.

    During the proceedings, Salman Akram Raja said the court should also hear their contempt petitions, adding that the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had filed a request for a meeting that was never implemented despite a court order issued on March 24.

    He said that every time they submit a list of visitors as per the court order, the authorities either deny permission or add names not provided by them.

    The Superintendent of Adiala Jail told the court that regular meetings are being held and claimed that no list had been received from Salman Akram Raja’s side.

    After hearing the arguments, the court ordered the Adiala Jail authorities to implement the March 24 directive regarding Imran Khan’s meetings and instructed that all individuals listed by Salman Akram Raja be allowed to meet him.

  • Imran Khan tells Gandapur, sister Aleema to stop taking internal rift public

    Imran Khan tells Gandapur, sister Aleema to stop taking internal rift public

    As Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) internal rifts make headlines, former prime minister (PM) and party founder Imran Khan has told Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and his sister Aleema Khan to avoid issuing statements against each other.

    According to reports, the instructions were conveyed by PTI Senator Ali Zafar as Imran also urgently summoned CM Gandapur for a meeting at Adiala Jail.

    Addressing speculation during a media briefing outside the jail, Zafar said that the jailed former premier’s urgent summon for Gandapur was for a meeting and not a reprimand.

    Rubbishing reports of the KP chief executive’s possible sacking, Zafar said that disagreements should not be aired publicly.

    He also confirmed that the founder had nominated Mahmood Khan Achakzai to act as the opposition leader pending the resolution of Omar Ayub’s legal cases.

    It merits a mention that the development comes days after CM Gandapur accused Aleema of creating a divide within the party and alleged that she was being facilitated by the Military Intelligence (MI) and “establishment.”

    “Imran Khan is my leader and I am loyal to him. It is my right to convey the truth to him … I made him aware of all that has been happening [during my meeting with him yesterday],” he said in a video statement.

    The KP CM said that he had conveyed to the party founder that Aleema had a big role in dividing the party and some members being discredited. He also alleged that no steps were being taken for Khan’s release. “Instead, there is groupism in party which some people are using to serve their own interests.”

    He alleged that Aleema was in contact with “vloggers” working to create divide in the party. “And instead of stopping them… she is provoking them. And Hafeezullah Niazi sahib refers to Aleema Khan as the prime minister in his articles. He writes that she should become the party chairperson,” he alleged.

    Last week, unconfirmed reports had also quoted Khan as barring his sister Aleema from interfering in party matters.

  • Imran Khan wrote THIS legendary cricketer’s name on a pillow, punched it hard after India loss

    Imran Khan wrote THIS legendary cricketer’s name on a pillow, punched it hard after India loss

    Former cricketer and ex-Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ramiz Raja has said that Imran Khan wrote a legendary cricketer’s name on the pillow and punched it hard when the latter got out against India, leading Pakistan to lose a One Day International (ODI) match. 

    “We played six ODIs and won five of them in India. We lost [a] match when Abdul Qadir got out [at the moment] when the score was level,” he said while appearing on a private media outlet on Wednesday, adding that, despite the match being tied, India won as Pakistan lost more wickets than India.

    Raja said Khan told Abdul Qadir, “I wrote your name on the pillow and punched it hard,” leaving the host in stitches.

    He was referring to Pakistan’s visit to India in 1987, when both teams played six ODIs. Pakistan lost only one match, played on March 20 in Hyderabad, with a score of 212/7. Despite the match being tied, India won, as it had lost only six wickets.

    In that series, Abdul Qadir was the second-highest wicket-taker (eight). Meanwhile, Javed Miandad was the leading scorer with 229 runs.

    Responding to the Indian media reports suggesting that if India wins the final of the Asia Cup 2025, the team perhaps would not take the winning trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, Raja described the idea as “meaningless” and went on to say that he has no idea about such a development.

    Ramiz Raja’s remarks came in the backdrop of September 14’s Pakistan-India clash in the Men’s Asia Cup in Dubai, when the former lost by seven wickets.

    Pakistan will face India again on September 21, as both teams have qualified for the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup.

  • ‘They will be kidnapped’: Imran Khan refuses to tell who runs his social media account

    ‘They will be kidnapped’: Imran Khan refuses to tell who runs his social media account

    Incarcerated founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan has refused to name those who operate his social media accounts before a special three-member team from the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), a leading English outlet reported on Tuesday.

    Additional Director Ayaz Khan, along with two Sub-Inspectors (SI), namely Muneeb Zafar and Muhammad Waseem Khan, were among the team which visited Adiala Jail to question Imran Khan about posts and the operation of his X (formerly Twitter) and other social media accounts.

    “If I tell, they [operators] will be kidnapped,” the outlet quoted Khan as saying.

    When investigators pressed the former premier, he became agitated, at one point attempting to leave the room. Accusing the lead investigator of personal bias, he stated that the additional director had filed “cipher” and fake-account cases against him in the past.

    “I don’t even want to see Ayaz Khan, his conscience is dead,” Khan told investigators.


     
    Investigators also asked directly whether foreign nationals, or Jibran Ilyas, were involved or whether agencies such as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), or Mossad were operating the accounts.

    Citing the transcript, the outlet said that Khan ruled out the allegations, maintaining, “My accounts are not run by Jibran Ilyas. Jibran Ilyas is the most patriotic […] and you know who is with Mossad.”

    Jibran Ilyas was born in Pakistan but shifted to the United States (US), Chicago, in his teens. He is a cybersecurity expert working on data breaches for Google and teaches digital forensics at Northwestern University. 

    Ilyas began volunteering for Khan’s party in 2011 and became its social media lead in 2022, coordinating its digital strategy from Chicago.

    Inquiring about how messages from the jail reach the outside world, the investigators asked, “Who takes your [Imran Khan’s] message out of jail?”

    Khan responded that there is no special courier, adding that he is in long periods of solitary confinement, is not allowed to meet political leadership, and that when someone does meet him, he simply sends the message on to the social-media team.

    The outlet quoted sources as further reporting that when Khan was told his sister Aleema Khan, during the investigation, named Ilyas as his account handler, he said: “Aleema has nothing to do with politics.”

    On being asked whether the social-media output was intended to stir unrest, Khan told investigators he was not spreading unrest, adding his posts criticise the government’s tribal-district operations and that “for 20 years I have warned against becoming part of other powers’ wars.”

    He concluded by saying that party leaders repost his messages out of fear of bearing the consequences themselves.

  • FACT CHECK: Did martyred Maj Adnan Aslam’s father chant ‘Imran Khan Zindabad’?

    FACT CHECK: Did martyred Maj Adnan Aslam’s father chant ‘Imran Khan Zindabad’?

    Two days after the funeral of martyred Major Adnan Aslam, a viral video from the ceremony has been shared with the claim that it shows his father chanting incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan’s name.

    Major Adnan succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday after being critically injured while protecting a fallen comrade from gunfire during an operation in Bannu on Sept 2. Drone footage of the encounter had also gone viral over the internet, highlighting Major Adnan’s bravery and commitment, drawing praise from all quarters.

    With visuals from his funeral taking over the internet by storm, it was claimed that one of the videos showed his father chanting ‘Imran Khan Zindabad’. It was first shared on X by a user named ‘ZEShan’, who has more than 63,000 followers. “Breaking News. The father of martyred Major Adnan Aslam also raised the slogan of Long Live Imran Khan [sic],” he wrote.

    By the filing of this report, the post had garnered 175,000 views and had been retweeted over 4,900 times.

    As thousands of other social media users share the video with the same caption here, here, here and here, The Current conducted a thorough investigation, concluding that the claim was false.

    The video actually showed Maj Adnan’s father chanting “Adnan [Aslam] Khan Zindabad” along with other slogans, including Naraa-e-Takbeer and Pakistan Zindabad.

    The misleading caption resulted in the creation of an auditory illusion, which is a false perception of sound where the brain misinterprets it due to conflicting information.

  • Imran Khan has fallen sick in jail: journalist

    Imran Khan has fallen sick in jail: journalist

    Journalist Matiullah Jan has revealed that incarcerated former prime minister (PM) Imran Khan has fallen sick in jail and is suffering from a hearing condition.

    “Doctors have told me that a patient suffering from said condition should avoid exposure to loud noise and music as it can further damage hearing and worsen the condition,” Jan said in a YouTube video, citing Khan’s medical records.

    He further said that a person diagnosed with the condition same as Khan often struggles with sleep, adding that doctors had also warned the jailed former premier against complete silence as it too could aggravate the condition.

    “Any person diagnosed with this condition cannot be kept in isolation,” the journalist quoted doctors as saying, noting that the same could also impact the patient’s psychological health.

    Further citing Khan’s medical records, Jan revealed that on August 12, an ENT panel had recommended “supportive management” for Khan in jail, underscoring the seriousness of the condition.

    Read More: Imran Khan given these six books to read in jail

    While the journalist didn’t name the condition, it merits a mention that Khan was in February this year reportedly diagnosed with tinnitus – a hearing problem in which the patient feels ringing, buzzing or roaring in the ear despite the absence of any external sound.

    According to reports, Khan had also started to suffer from high blood pressure. 

    Khan was on August 5, 2023, arrested from his residence in Zaman Park Lahore shortly after his conviction in the Toshakhana case and was shifted to Attock jail.

    Following an Islamabad High Court (IHC) order, Khan was shifted to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on September 27, 2023. Currently, he is held in jail under high security and with B-class facilities due to his status as a former premier. 

    While courts provided him relief in several cases against him, the former PM remains in jail due to his January conviction in the £190 million case commonly known as the Al Qadir Trust case.

    Accountability Court Judge Nasir Javed Rana sentenced Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi to 14 years and seven years imprisonment, respectively.

    As per the verdict, Khan was convicted for “corrupt practices” and “misuse of authority”, while the ex-first lady was convicted for “involvement in illegal activities”.

  • Imran Khan called out for ‘uttering absolute nonsense’ as video defending RUDA project resurfaces

    Imran Khan called out for ‘uttering absolute nonsense’ as video defending RUDA project resurfaces

    As floods wreak havoc on large parts of Punjab, including Lahore, some netizens have shared an old video of then-prime minister Imran Khan backing the Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project.

    In the now viral video, Imran Khan can be heard saying that the objective of the project was to curb the expansion of Lahore. “If Lahore continues to expand, then the water table will continue to recede,” he says in the video. 

    He can further be heard arguing that Ravi-river is in the process of drying up, which would turn it into a sewage drain, gesturing towards the water behind him. “It will be a modern city which will be constructed at par with Dubai and Malaysia and will expand vertically.”

    While rivers, including the Ravi, swelled in the wake of the unprecedented monsoon this year and submerged many nearby villages and housing societies, users blamed the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government for advocating the need for a new city on the riverfront.

    A user, while highlighting the deteriorated situation on the bank of Ravi, shared the January 2022 video of Imran Khan on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday. “It’s the sheer confidence with which he utters absolute nonsense, Imran Khan, the ultimate Mr. Know-It-All,” he captioned, accompanied by the alarm emoji.

    Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) top brass Khawaja Asif, was quick to react to the video, writing, “Everywhere, every fool thinks that he knows everything. He [Imran khan] should be shown today’s Ravi’s video and asked. And the ignorant person also gives long, long lectures (sic).”

    “Imran Khan called the Ravi City project one of the biggest mega projects in Pakistan’s history, claiming it would save Lahore from unplanned urban sprawl, revive River Ravi, and raise the water table,” wrote another user.

    One of the users alleged, “Imran Khan was the biggest supporter of the RUDA project and had the biggest hand in starting these housing societies.”

    Another user said, “Imran Khan had himself launched the RUDA project, also showed concern over the Supreme Court’s decision.”

    It merits a mention that in August 2020, the then-premier Imran Khan had laid the foundation stone of the controversial real estate project, which is continuing in the PML-N-led provincial government.

    RUDA is responsible for developing a new city along the banks of the Ravi. Empowered by provincial legislation, RUDA has, over time, become a contentious body and has been dragged through the courts more than once.

  • Imran Khan given these six books to read in jail

    Imran Khan given these six books to read in jail

    Incarcerated former premier and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has been provided with new books at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.

    According to a leading daily Urdu, Imran Khan’s counsel, Barrister Salman Safdar handed over the books to the jail administration.

    This comes after the Anti Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Rawalpindi directed the authorities to provide books to Imran Khan as well as allow him to talk to his children. 

    Social media user Rizwan Ghilzai took to X (formerly Twitter) on Monday night to share a picture of books he said were given to Imran Khan in jail. The caption of the post read, “Books have been provided to Imran Khan in jail.”

    The titles of the books are clearly visible in the image. One of them is “On Palestine”, co-authored by Noam Chomsky and Ilan Pappé, two prominent voices in the struggle to liberate Palestine.

    Another book is “The BLACK JACOBINS” authored by Toussaint L’Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution. The book is a history of the Haitian Revolution of 1791–1804.

    Some Islamic books include “REOPENING MUSLIM MINDS” by Mustafa Akyol, “Lost Islamic History” by Firas Alkhateeb, “CALIPHATE” by Hugh Kennedy and “The Life of SALAH UD DIN AYYUBI” by Beha Ud Din.

    On August 5, 2023, Imran Khan was arrested from his residence at Zaman Park, Lahore, shortly after his conviction in the Toshakhana case, and was held in Attock jail.

    He is currently serving a 14-year sentence of rigorous imprisonment at Adiala Jail, following his conviction in the Al-Qadir Trust case on January 17, 2025.


    Read More: ‘Tailored meals, reading materials, exercise’: Adiala authorities reveal list of amenities being provided to Imran Khan in jail