Special Report: Truth Behind Viral Rumours of Imran Khan’s Death in Adiala Jail

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On this Special Report, the focus is on the viral rumours surrounding the alleged death of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in Adiala Jail. The programme examines the unverified claims that surfaced on social media, including a fake document from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It highlights the ongoing power struggle between Khan and Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir, tracing the feud back to Munir’s removal as ISI head in 2019. The report also details the legal challenges facing Khan, including the Toshakhana and Cipher cases, and the political implications of his incarceration.

Transcript

00:00A wild claim ricocheted across social media on Wednesday after an Afghanistan outlet reported

00:05that former Pakistan Prime Minister, PTI founder Imran Khan had been killed inside Rawalpindi's

00:11Adhiala jail. Within minutes, the rumor spiraled, leading to frantic posts on X speculating about

00:18this death. The unverified claim surfaced amid allegations from Imran Khan's sisters that they

00:23are not being allowed to meet him. This isn't the first time rumors about Imran Khan's demise

00:28have spread on social media. In May, a document bearing the letterhead of the government of

00:34Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs claiming that Khan had died in judicial custody and that

00:40the circumstances of his death were under investigation went viral.

00:48In July, Imran Khan asked his party members to hold the Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Muneer

00:54accountable if anything happened to him in jail after complaining of harsh treatment during

01:00incarceration.

01:05Now, what exactly happened? The rupture between Imran Khan and Field Marshal Asim Muneer has long

01:12been one of Pakistan's most consequential power feuds. In 2019, just eight months into his tenure

01:18as head of the powerful ISI, Muneer was abruptly removed by Prime Minister Imran Khan, a move that

01:24shocked Pakistan's military and political establishment. Rumors soon spread that Muneer had presented

01:30Imran Khan with evidence implicating Bushra Bibi, Imran Khan's wife, in alleged corruption and

01:36interference in state affairs. Imran Khan denied the accusation and cast the episode as a personal

01:42vendetta, claiming Muneer was pursuing a vindictive campaign against his wife. His dismissal, however,

01:49set in motion a quiet power struggle that would eventually reshape Pakistan's future. The clash

01:55only intensified after Muneer became army chief. Imran Khan began publicly describing him as the most

02:01oppressive dictator in Pakistan's history, accusing him of orchestrating a political crackdown, torturing him

02:07and his wife in custody and seeking an illegitimate extension of military rule.

02:16Imran Khan was removed from power in a no-confidence vote in Parliament in April 2022 and subsequently faced

02:23a whopping 188 cases, including charges of corruption, terrorism, inciting violence during deadly protests

02:30that saw his supporters attack government and military property across the country.

02:37The cricket star-turned politician is currently serving a 14-year jail term on charges that he and

02:47his wife were gifted land by a real estate developer during his premiership from 2018 to 2022 in exchange

02:53for illegal favours. He was first arrested in May 2023 in this case, accused of receiving land worth

03:00up to 7 billion rupees as a bribe through a trust created in 2018. His party maintains the land was donated

03:07for charitable purposes.

03:10Then there's the Toshakana case. Imran and his wife Bushra Bibi were handed a 14-year sentence in the Toshakana

03:17or state treasury case. The sentence was later suspended by a high court. The duo were charged with selling

03:24in state held gifts worth more than 140 million rupees, which Khan had received during his 2018-2022

03:31premiership. The gifts included diamond jewellery and seven watches, six of them Rolexes. The most expensive,

03:39valued at 85 million rupees.

03:41Then the other case. In June, the Islamabad High Court overturned Imran Khan's conviction on charges of

03:53leaking state secrets. He had previously been sentenced to 10 years in prison for making public a classified

03:59cable sent to Islamabad by Pakistan's ambassador in Washington in 2022 in what is commonly known as

04:06the Cipher case. Khan has said the cable was evidence of a conspiracy by Pakistan's military

04:12and the US government to topple his government in 2022 after he visited Moscow just before Russia's

04:18invasion of Ukraine. Washington and Pakistan's military deny the accusation. Imran Khan's supporters,

04:25however, have reasons to worry given Pakistan's troubling history with its prime ministers.

Special Report: Truth Behind Viral Rumours of Imran Khan’s Death in Adiala Jail

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