A dramatic claim by Pakistani journalist Wajahat Saeed Khan that former Prime Minister Imran Khan may have died in custody has ignited intense speculation across Pakistan and beyond, only for the country’s powerful military to issue a rare and firm denial. The episode, which unfolded over 11 and 12 August 2026, has once again thrown a harsh spotlight on the conditions of Khan’s imprisonment, the opacity surrounding his health, and the deep political fault lines that continue to define Pakistan three years after his ouster from power.
Wajahat Saeed Khan, an Emmy-nominated journalist now based in the United States, published a two-part series on 11 August titled “Is Khan still with us” and “What happens after Khan.” In the initial reporting and accompanying videos, he stated that sources within the Pakistan Army’s General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi had indicated that the jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder was no longer alive. He specifically cited at least three senior officers who, according to him, expressed the view that “Imran Khan is no longer with us” and suggested this explained the prolonged absence of any public appearance or reliable proof of life.
The claim spread rapidly on social media and was picked up by outlets across South Asia. Within hours, questions about Khan’s fate dominated conversations in political circles, among his supporters, and among observers of Pakistan’s turbulent politics. Yet the journalist himself soon issued an important clarification. In a subsequent video, Wajahat stressed that his sources had never actually confirmed Khan’s death. “Let’s be very clear. They did not confirm that Imran Khan is dead,” he said. Instead, the officers had conveyed what he described as a “profound paralysing fear that the worst may have happened or is likely to happen.” He maintained that the reporting was intended to compel the authorities to produce verifiable evidence that the former prime minister was alive, rather than to assert a definitive fact.
The Pakistan Army’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Directorate, responded by rejecting the reports as false. In a significant move, the military stated that Imran Khan had not died in custody and remained alive. The journalist welcomed the response, noting that the mere fact of an official denial itself suggested Khan was still living. “I am glad that the ISPR has responded, fake or whatever, because that means Imran is alive,” he remarked. Some accounts also referenced claims that members of Bushra Bibi’s family had seen Khan on CCTV during a related prison interaction and observed him walking without assistance, though these details remain unverified by independent sources.
The controversy did not emerge in a vacuum. Imran Khan, the former cricket captain who became prime minister in 2018, has been held at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail since August 2023. He faces multiple legal cases, including a 14-year sentence in the Al-Qadir Trust corruption matter involving alleged misuse of funds linked to a £190 million settlement. Supporters and family members have long alleged that he is being held in near-isolation, with restricted access to lawyers, physicians of his choice, and close relatives. Court orders granting visitation rights on specific days have repeatedly gone unimplemented, according to PTI leaders and Khan’s sisters. Similar death rumours circulated in late 2025, only to be dismissed by jail authorities and later contradicted when family members eventually gained limited access.
Health concerns have compounded the anxiety. Khan has suffered from a serious eye condition—central retinal vein occlusion—that has significantly impaired vision in one eye. There have been reports of delayed medical treatment and disputes over whether his preferred doctors have been allowed to examine him. PTI has consistently accused the authorities of using isolation and restricted medical care as tools of political pressure. The government and jail administration have denied solitary confinement claims, stating that Khan is provided facilities above the standard for B-class prisoners, including books, newspapers, exercise space, and medical attention.
The latest episode has further energised PTI’s political mobilisation. Party leaders warned that millions of supporters were prepared to take to the streets if access continued to be denied. Reports spoke of plans for a large-scale long march toward Islamabad later in September. The timing of the journalist’s claim, coming amid already heightened tensions over visitation rights, amplified fears among Khan’s base that something irreversible might have occurred behind the high walls of Adiala Jail.
International attention has also been drawn to the situation. A bipartisan group of US lawmakers has previously urged the American administration to raise concerns about Khan’s and Bushra Bibi’s health, safety, and well-being with Pakistani authorities. Human rights organisations have long criticised the scale of legal cases against Khan and the manner of his detention, arguing that due process and transparency have been compromised. While foreign governments have generally avoided direct intervention in Pakistan’s internal politics, the repeated cycles of rumour, denial, and restricted access keep the issue on the radar of diplomats and rights monitors.
For ordinary Pakistanis, the episode underscores a deeper problem of trust. In a country where the military has historically played an outsized role in politics, and where information about high-profile detainees is tightly controlled, the absence of regular, independent verification of Khan’s condition creates fertile ground for speculation. Each time access is denied or official silence stretches for weeks, rumours fill the vacuum. The military’s decision to respond this time may have been calculated to defuse an escalating crisis, yet it does little to resolve the underlying demand for consistent proof of life and humane treatment.
Wajahat Saeed Khan’s reporting, whether viewed as responsible pressure or as overreach based on second-hand fears, has achieved one clear outcome: it forced an official statement after what he described as months of tight-lipped silence. That statement affirms Imran Khan is alive. At the same time, the episode leaves many questions unanswered. Why has reliable, regular access for family and independent observers remained so difficult? Why do health concerns continue to surface without transparent medical updates? And how long can a political system sustain such opacity around its most prominent prisoner without further eroding public confidence?
As of mid-August 2026, the official position of the Pakistan Army is that Imran Khan has not died in custody. PTI continues to demand unrestricted meetings and medical transparency. Supporters remain on edge, ready to mobilise. The journalist who ignited the latest firestorm has walked back any definitive claim of death while insisting the fears he reported were real and shared by people inside the institution itself. In the absence of independent verification that goes beyond official denials, the uncertainty that has surrounded Khan’s imprisonment for nearly three years is likely to persist. For a nation still grappling with political polarisation, economic strain, and institutional distrust, the unanswered questions about one man’s fate continue to cast a long shadow.
About The Author
