Old photos used to falsely claim former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was ‘tortured,’ ‘killed’ after his arrest

By: Toibah Kirmani
May 12 2023

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Context
On May 9, Pakistan's anti-corruption agency arrested former Prime Minister Imran Khan from Islamabad High Court in connection with a corruption case, triggering violent clashes between his supporters and police, resulting in the death of at least one protester, according to The Express Tribune. Three of Pakistan's four provinces imposed an emergency order banning all gatherings, and internet has been suspended in many areas. 

Multiple images are beinZ shared on social media claiming to show visuals of Khan in custody. Users have claimed that Khan is ‘being tortured’ or ‘has been killed’. A Twitter user posted a picture of the former prime minister with a bandaged head, claiming that he has been severely tortured, and stabbed. The tweet has since garnered over 40,000 and 766 retweets.

Another tweet circulating on social media claimed that Khan passed away, allegedly at the hands of the "fascist" Pakistan Army. At the time of writing, the tweet has been viewed by 78,600 people and liked by 725 users.

In Fact
Using a reverse image search, we discovered that the images date back to May 7, 2013. We found multiple articles by BBC, Reuters, Dawn, and The Guardian reporting that Khan had sustained a head injury after falling off a makeshift elevator during an election rally in Lahore.

We also found a tweet dated May 7, 2013, by his ex-wife Jemima Goldsmith confirming that Khan was in the hospital and conscious at the time. Therefore, the images being circulated on social media are misleading and have no connection to his recent arrest.

Khan was treated for his head injury and discharged from the hospital on May 22, 2013,  two weeks after the fall.

Notably, there are no credible sources suggesting that Khan was injured during his recent arrest or that the two events are connected. Therefore, the images being circulated on social media are false and have no connection to his recent arrest.

The Verdict
The images being circulated on social media showing Khan with an injured head are misleading as they date back to May 7, 2013, when he sustained a head injury during an election rally in Lahore. The images have no connection to his recent arrest. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.