On February 14, 2024, a claim circulated on social media platform X that Imran Khan had been shifted to Banigala from Adiala Jail. However, the PTI founder remains in the prison.
Imran Khan shifted from Adiala Jail to Banigala
The iVerify Pakistan team has checked this content and has established that it is false.
To arrive at this verdict, the iVerify Pakistan team corroborated the claim with a PTI official and a court correspondent.
On February 14, 2024, Laiba Umer Dar, daughter of former PTI leader Umar Dar, made a post on social media platform X saying: “According to some confirmed reports, Imran Khan Sahib has been taken to Banigala.”
The post gained over 71,000 views.
A similar claim was shared by a user, who appeared to be a PTI supporter based on his past posts and account description, on X with the caption: “Khan has been forcibly brought to Banigala. Khan is standing strong. Khan is not making any deal.”
The post gained over 130,000 views.
The same claim was shared here and here, with 9,000 and over 31,000 views, respectively.
The iVerify Pakistan team sought to determine the veracity of the claim due to its high virality, the public’s keen interest in the former prime minister who is presently incarcerated in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail and also because of how it has been repeated over the recent period.
To investigate the circulated claim, the iVerify Pakistan team contacted Abuzar Salman Niazi, a member of Imran Khan’s legal team.
Talking to the team he said, “The legal team of Imran Khan went to Adiala Jail today to meet him and Imran is still there.”
He further added, “Imran Khan stated that he did not wish to be transferred to Banigala and wants to remain in Adiala Jail”
The team also reached out to Umer Burney, a reporter from Dawn who has been covering the PTI founder’s court hearings in Adiala Jail, for corroboration.
He confirmed that Imran is still in Adiala Jail.
Furthermore, PTI leaders also addressed a press conference outside Adiala Jail on Feb 15 after a meeting with their party founder on government and political issues.
On August 5, 2023, the PTI founder was sentenced to three years of imprisonment by an Islamabad trial court in a case related to state gifts. The case, filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan, had accused the PTI leader of not mentioning the details of state gifts in his tax declarations.
The Islamabad High Court set aside the sentence on Aug 29 and ordered his release. However, he was not freed as he was undergoing trial in the cipher and other cases.
The PTI chief currently remains incarcerated in Adiala Jail and has since been convicted and sentenced to lengthy prison terms in other cases as well.
Imran was granted bail in a dozen cases related to the riots on May 9, 2023, by a Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court on Feb 10. The PTI founder’s release was also ordered by the court but was not implemented due to his prior convictions.
Rumours about Imran being moved to Banigala have circulated on and off recently. The iVerify Pakistan team previously debunked a similar claim of Imran being shifted from Adiala Jail to Banigala on Feb 13.
The iVerify Pakistan team has determined that the claim regarding the PTI founder being shifted to Banigala is false.
Imran continues to remain in Adiala Jail as per corroboration from multiple sources.
