Is Imran Khan dead? Why his family is demanding ‘proof of life’

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s health has come into focus after some unverified media reports claimed that he has been “killed” in jail. His family and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party have demanded “proof of life” amid these rumours.

Khan has been in prison since August 2023 and is currently serving a 14-year sentence in a corruption case. Authorities of the Adiala jail, where the PTI chief is incarcerated, have denied his “death” rumours and claimed that the 73-year-old is healthy.

Let’s take a closer look.

How Imran Khan’s death rumours started

The rumours about Imran Khan’s “demise” began after an account on X named Afghanistan Times claimed on Wednesday (November 26) that the former Pakistan PM has been “mysteriously killed” and his “body has been moved out of the prison.”

In a follow-up post, the account claimed that thousands of Khan’s supporters and PTI members are trying to “break into” the Adiala Jail to get information about their “leader’s condition”.

The trend ‘Where is Imran Khan?’ soon gained traction on X.

An account on the social media platform named “Ministry of Foreign Affairs Baluchistan” shared a purported picture of Khan lying on a stretcher. It claimed, citing “reports”, that the former PM has been “killed” by Field Marshal Asim Munir and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan’s spy agency.

However, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MOIB) has debunked “false claims” that Imran Khan “had been killed in jail”.

“Anonymous Afghan accounts circulated an unverified rumour that Imran was killed in custody and his body moved. Indian outlets repeated the rumour using two old photos from 2013 and 2022 as ‘fresh evidence’,” the ministry’s official fact-checking cell said on X, as per Dawn.

The picture of Imran on a stretcher, it said, was from November 4, 2022, during an assassination attempt on the PTI chief in Wazirabad.

“This photo predates Imran’s imprisonment and has zero connection to jail or custody,” it said.

Imran Khan’s PTI demands clarification

Imran Khan’s party has called on the Pakistan government to clarify the recent “rumours” about the politician’s health. PTI also demanded that authorities allow Khan’s family to meet him.

The former PM’s sisters have alleged that they have been denied a meeting with him for more than a month. Last week, they also staged protests outside the Adiala jail in Rawalpindi after not being given access to Khan.

Noreen Niazi, the PTI founder’s sister, alleged a “brutal assault” of protesters outside the prison. The party alleged that the three sisters — Aleema Khan, Dr Uzma Khan and Niazi — were “sitting peacefully” outside the prison when they were manhandled and “violently detained” by police.

This incident further fuelled the rumours about Khan’s health.

As per The Express Tribune, PTI spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari said Khan’s family or legal team have not seen him since November 4, adding that the lack of information about his condition has triggered concerns about his well-being. He also called for immediate access to Khan.

A PTI delegation again tried to meet Khan on Thursday but was denied access, Bukhari said. He further claimed that weekly meetings with the former PM, allowed under the jail manual, were suspended without explanation. He said there had been no contact with him for long periods, which was becoming common.

The PTI activists staged a protest outside the Adiala Jail after Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was stopped by the police from reaching the prison during his eighth attempt to meet Khan. Later, he and PTI workers launched a demonstration.

In a statement on Thursday (November 27) on X, the PTI demanded the “current government and the interior ministry immediately and clearly dismiss and clarify the rumour and immediately arrange a meeting between Imran and his family”.

“A formal and transparent statement should be issued on behalf of the state regarding the health, security and current status of Imran,” the party said.

PTI leader Meher Bano Qureshi said that rumours regarding Khan’s health were concerning.
“The government is responsible for Khan sahib’s safety and is duty-bound to issue a statement updating the nation. As far as putting an end to these rumours goes, the best, most credible way possible is to allow Khan sahib’s sisters, lawyers and party members to meet with him,” she wrote on X.

During the Senate session, the PTI lawmakers held a protest against the alleged mistreatment of the former prime minister.

Senator Faisal Javed claimed that Khan was being kept in solitary confinement, while his family, doctors and lawyers were not permitted to meet him. “This is against basic human rights, court orders, the jail manual and prison rules,” he was quoted as saying by Dawn. 

Imran Khan’s family demands ‘proof of life’

Amid questions about Khan’s health, the cricketer-turned-politician’s son, Kasim Khan, took to X to bring global attention to his father.

He reiterated the PTI’s claim that Khan has been kept in solitary confinement, with his family not being given access to him. Kasim also raised concerns about his father’s treatment in jail.

“My father has been under arrest for 845 days,” he wrote. “For the past six weeks, he has been kept in solitary confinement in a death cell with zero transparency.”

“His sisters have been barred from every meeting, despite clear court orders. No phone calls, no meetings, and no news of his well-being. My brother and I have not been able to contact our father in any way,” Kasim alleged in his post.

He stated that this “absolute blackout is not a security protocol”. “It is a deliberate attempt to hide his condition,” he added.

Kasim warned that the “Pakistani government and its handlers will be held fully accountable — legally, morally and internationally — for my father’s safety and for every consequence of this inhumane isolation.”

He also urged the international community and global human rights organisations to intervene. “Demand proof of life, enforce court ordered access, end this inhumane isolation and call for the release of Pakistan’s most popular political leader who is being held solely for political reasons.”

Khan’s sister Aleema Khanum also warned that street protests are “inevitable” if the jailed leader is not allowed access to his family and supporters. “It’s going to happen. It’s not a matter of if but when. And it’s all leading toward the same thing,” she told CNN-News18 in an exclusive phone interview.

“And when the agitations begin, they won’t be able to stop them," she said, referring to the powerful Pakistani establishment led by Army chief Asim Munir .

Khan’s other sister, Noreen Niazi, alleged that authorities are deliberately hiding information about her brother’s condition in jail. Speaking to ANI, she said, “We don’t know anything. They are not telling us anything, nor are they letting anybody meet him. His party’s people went there because they had a meeting scheduled, but they were not allowed inside. We have not been allowed to meet him for the last four weeks…”

Niazi claimed that the police have been given a free hand to “beat up” people, including women, the elderly and children, supporting Khan.

“No one has ever disrespected women like this, nor has anyone been oppressed this way. This is the first time in Pakistan that these people have been allowed to beat up people like there won’t be any consequences, without considering if it’s a child, an elderly person, or a woman in front of them. The world is aware of what’s happening in Pakistan.

She described the current situation as Pakistan’s “darkest period”, likening it to “Hitler-era-like repression”, and alleged that people are being “killed, beaten, and jailed without accountability”.

Authorities say Imran Khan is fine

As speculations increased about Khan, the Pakistan authorities and even his PTI clarified that he is alive.

Rana Sanaullah, PM’s adviser on political affairs, told ARY News that Khan was “fine” and his health was being taken care of. “There is a team of doctors that checks him on a weekly and daily basis [and looks after his] medicine, diet, facilities [and] exercises.”

He said Khan’s treatment was according to his position and status, adding that the PTI chief was still in Adiala jail.

PTI leader Ali Zafar also dismissed “death” rumours surrounding Khan. He told DawnNewsTV, “Thank God, the news is baseless, but it is even more important after this report that the government immediately allow us the opportunity of a meeting so we can go and see ourselves.”

Earlier on Wednesday, Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said Khan has a “double bed and velvet bedding” in jail as well as access to excerise equipment and TV.

“He (Imran) himself has a TV in his jail cell … and his food comes from outside,” he claimed. “There are exercise machines available for him as well.”

With inputs from agencies