Imran Khan rumours: Jail authorities issue statement

Pakistani authorities on Thursday sought to shut down a fresh wave of speculation over Imran Khan’s condition, insisting that the jailed former prime minister remains in “good health” and dismissing online rumours of his death as politically motivated and entirely baseless.

Khan is in "completely good health inside Adiala Jail", the jail authorities said, rejecting rumours on social media about his medical condition. "The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership has been informed regarding Imran Khan’s health. All necessary care is being provided to the PTI chief," the Jail administration said in a statement issued in Lahore on Thursday. 

The clarification from Adiala Jail officials followed a sharp spike in conjecture after the 73-year-old former cricket World Cup-winning captain's three sisters — Noreen Niazi, Aleema Khan and Dr Uzma Khan — publicly demanded an impartial investigation into what they described as a “brutal” police assault on them and other Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters outside the prison last week.

Their allegation, amplified in an already febrile political climate, provided fertile ground for a series of viral social media posts claiming that Khan had been killed in custody and that his body had been spirited away.

One such post, circulated by a handle styling itself as 'Afghanistan Times', asserted that Khan had died — a claim swiftly debunked by prison authorities, who said he was “fully healthy” and receiving appropriate medical care. Officials stressed that no untoward incident had taken place inside Adiala Jail and that Khan’s well-being was being “closely safeguarded”.

The latest swirl of rumours comes against the backdrop of Pakistan’s deeply polarised politics and the PTI’s repeated claims that its leader has been held in conditions designed to isolate and pressure him.

Since his incarceration in August 2023, Khan’s access to family members, party colleagues and legal teams has been tightly controlled, with visits frequently delayed, curtailed or denied. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Sohail Afridi has failed to meet Khan despite making seven attempts, the party noted.

The PTI, which has long accused the caretaker and now elected governments of waging a campaign of harassment and suppression, has once again urged authorities to permit routine family visits to avoid fuelling unnecessary speculation. The party argues that the secrecy surrounding Khan’s confinement — he is serving sentences in multiple cases ranging from corruption to alleged leaking of state documents, all of which he insists are politically motivated — only encourages misinformation to fill the vacuum.

Khan’s imprisonment continues to shape Pakistan’s political trajectory. Although barred from contesting elections, he remains the country’s most recognisable opposition figure, and his enduring popularity has kept his party relevant despite an aggressive state crackdown. Analysts note that periodic rumours about his health or death tend to coincide with moments of political uncertainty, reflecting both public anxiety and the PTI’s limited ability to communicate directly with its base.

Authorities, meanwhile, have appealed for restraint and responsible reporting, warning that the deliberate spread of false information about a high-profile detainee risks inciting unrest. For now, they maintain that Khan is in stable health and that any reports to the contrary stem from misinformation rather than reality.

Interestingly, Adiala Jail comes under the administrative control of the Punjab government of chief minister Maryam Nawaz, daughter of three-time premier Nawaz Sharif, though she has already stated that she has no control over Khan's meetings. Earlier, Khan claimed that an army colonel is in charge of Adiala Jail matters.