A major controversy erupted in Pakistan after reports circulated claiming that jailed former prime minister Imran Khan had died in custody. The Pakistan Army has rejected the claim, while journalist Wajahat Saeed Khan, who initially reported that Khan was dead, later clarified that his sources had not actually confirmed his death.ย The episode has triggered fresh questions over the condition and whereabouts of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder, who has remained behind bars for years. The controversy also put renewed attention on the secrecy surrounding his imprisonment.
Journalist initially claimed Imran Khan had died
Wajahat Saeed Khan had published a two-part series on August 11 titled ‘Is Khan still with us’ and ‘What happens after Khan’. In his initial account, he claimed that a source within the General Headquarters (GHQ) of the Pakistan Army had told him that Imran Khan had died while in custody.
The claim quickly generated speculation, but the journalist subsequently issued a detailed clarification, saying his sources had not confirmed that the former prime minister was dead.ย In a later video, Wajahat said three senior Pakistan Army officers had expressed serious concern about Khan’s condition and fate, but had not provided evidence of his death. “Letโs be very clear. They did not confirm that Imran Khan is dead,” he said, as per reports.
What did the journalist’s sources actually say?
According to Wajahat, the military officers had conveyed a “profound paralysing fear that the worst may have happened or is likely to happen”.ย He maintained that his reporting was aimed at putting pressure on Pakistani authorities to establish that Imran Khan was alive, rather than making an outright declaration that he had died. “What did we achieve today?” he asked. “I have stirred the authorities to provide proof of life,” he added.
The clarification significantly changed the nature of the original claim. Instead of presenting Khan’s death as confirmed, the journalist acknowledged that the information available to him pointed to concern among some military officials without providing conclusive evidence of a death.
Claims of unusual secrecy around Khan’s imprisonment
Wajahat said his reporting was based on conversations with senior officials associated with the Army’s General Staff, Military Intelligence and C4I directorates, as well as a junior commissioned officer. He said these individuals were based at the Army headquarters in Rawalpindi.
According to his account, the information suggested an unusually high level of secrecy surrounding Khan’s imprisonment. He alleged that the military had remained โuncharacteristically, terrifyingly and chillingly silent and tight-lipped”. He also claimed that a small group of intelligence personnel reporting directly to the army chief was overseeing the operation related to Khan’s imprisonment.
Pakistan Army rejects Imran Khan death report
The controversy took another turn after the Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan military, rejected the reports. The military described the reporting as false, effectively denying that Imran Khan had died in custody. The denial came after the journalist’s initial claims generated widespread speculation about the jailed PTI leader’s condition.
Wajahat welcomed the Army’s response, arguing that the fact that the military had publicly addressed the issue was itself significant. “I am glad that the ISPR has responded, fake or whatever, because that means Imran is alive,” he said.
Why has Imran Khan been in jail for so long?
72-year-old Imran Khan served as Pakistan’s Prime Minister from 2018 until his government was removed through a parliamentary vote of no confidence in April 2022. His legal troubles escalated sharply after his arrest on May 9, 2023, which was followed by widespread protests by his supporters. He was arrested again on August 5, 2023, and has remained imprisoned since then. Khan was acquitted in January 2025 in cases relating to official secrets and his marriage to Bushra Bibi Khan. However, he continued to remain behind bars because of other legal proceedings.ย He is currently serving a 14-year sentence in the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case. Bushra Bibi was sentenced to seven years in the same case.
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