Info ministry rejects ‘misleading’ foreign media reports on ‘convicted prisoner’

Info ministry rejects 'misleading' foreign media reports on 'convicted prisoner'.

Key points

• News Desk Published August 29, 2026 Updated August 29, 2026 11: 39pm.
• "More recently, meetings were also recorded with his sisters on Aug 18, 19 and 25, 2026."
• Imran was sent to jail on Aug 5, 2023 in the Toshakhana case.
• Since his imprisonment, records show approximately 198 interview sessions involving more than 900 visitor entries.
• The statement came after CNN anchor Becky Anderson interviewed Zulfi Bukhari, a former aide to PTI founder Imran Khan, on television.

News Desk Published August 29, 2026 Updated August 29, 2026 11: 39pm. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MOIB) on Saturday rejected what it called "misleading stories" circulated by foreign media outlets regarding a "convicted prisoner" incarcerated in Pakistan.

In practice, the statement came after CNN anchor Becky Anderson interviewed Zulfi Bukhari, a former aide to PTI founder Imran Khan, on television. Anderson afterwards posted the ministry's statement on her X account.

According to the statement, Imran is "not a person held under executive detention" and that he has been incarcerated based on multiple convictions after judicial proceedings, noting that the PTI founder "remains entitled to pursue all remedies available to him under Pakistani law".

"His imprisonment is governed by the Pakistan Prison Rules, applicable judicial directions and security arrangements appropriate to a high-profile prisoner, " the statement read.

In practice, the information ministry additionally rejected allegations that Imran was being subjected to "punitive solitary confinement, cruelty or deprivation", stating that visits, phone calls, reading materials and home-cooked meals, among other amenities, were available to him.

"His accommodation includes an exclusive seven-cell compound with sleeping, sanitation and exercise facilities, " the ministry remarked.

It further dismissed allegations that the PTI founder was being denied meetings with his family and party members, saying visits were allowed and that he had been holding weekly meetings with his wife, Bushra Bibi – who is additionally incarcerated at Adiala – with the most recent taking place on Aug 4.

"Since his imprisonment, records show approximately 198 interview sessions involving more than 900 visitor entries. These include his sisters, family members, lawyers, doctors, political representatives and other approved visitors, " the MOIB stated.

"Prison records further document telephone, landline and WhatsApp communication with family members in Pakistan and abroad, including a recorded telephone conversation with one of his sons on March 21, 2026, " it continued. "More recently, meetings were also recorded with his sisters on Aug 18, 19 and 25, 2026."

For context, the ministry additionally categorically rejected allegations that Imran had been denied appropriate medical care or that authorities had failed to comply with a Supreme Court order directing that he be transferred to the privately run Shifa International Hospital for medical examination and treatment.

Despite the SC order, in the early hours of last Friday, Imran was moved from Adiala jail but taken to the state-run Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences instead, where he was examined by a panel of doctors, with his sister Dr Uzma Khan present, according to Information Minister Attaullah Tarar.

"Since his imprisonment, the convicted prisoner has undergone approximately 30 medical examinations by specialist teams and medical boards involving institutions including Pims, Shifa International, Shaukat Khanum and Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital, in addition to regular examinations by the prison doctor, " the MOIB stated.

"Following the diagnosis of a retinal condition, the convicted prisoner received specialist treatment, including five intravitreal anti-VEGF injections, retinal imaging, medication and subsequent follow-up examinations, " it continued, referring to Imran's eye condition.

Meanwhile, the ministry continued that specialist assessments conducted last month and on August 21 demonstrated Imran was "oriented, stable and without any recorded acute or unmanaged deterioration".

Additionally, it observed that in her assessment, Dr Uzma described Imran as "100 per cent fit", citing normal blood pressure readings and his eye condition having "almost completely healed".

"She additionally praised the treating eye specialist for the quality of the treatment provided. Her own account, therefore, does not backing allegations of deliberate or systematic medical neglect, " the MOIB stated, stressing that the SC order had been followed.

"The convicted prisoner was examined in accordance with the court's directions, and the relevant medical and administrative arrangements were made accordingly, " the statement read.

According to The MOIB further, the physical health of individuals "should not be politicised" and that the federal administration has "never adopted a disrespectful attitude towards anyone's health and has no interest in politicising the convicted prisoner's medical condition".

"Against this background, the government believes that the issue has been presented in an unnecessarily politicised manner, without adequate regard to the documented record concerning the convicted prisoner's detention conditions, family access and medical treatment, " the statement read.

It reiterated that the administration acted in accordance with the SC's directions and that the relevant facts concerning Imran's medical care have been placed on record "transparently and consistently".

"Importantly, the Supreme Court had specifically directed that, pending further proceedings, members of the convicted prisoner's family, his political party and associated lawyers should not disclose or share his health condition or medical reports with the media or the public, " the MOIB remarked.

"The government therefore considers it important to distinguish between the right of a prisoner to receive appropriate medical treatment, which is fully respected and attempts to use confidential medical information as an instrument of political campaigning or public messaging."

It continued that Imran's medical treatment has continued as required and he has access to specialist care, noting that a medical matter should "therefore be assessed on the basis of the clinical record and applicable judicial directions rather than converted into a political controversy".

For context, the MOIB continued that access to a convicted prisoner cannot be employed as a "platform for unrestricted political communication or political activity from inside prison".

"Reasonable regulation of visits and communications, consistent with prison rules, court orders and security requirements, should not be mischaracterised as denial of access, " the statement read.

For context, the information ministry then addressed the potential arrival of Imran's sons, Qasim and Sulaiman, to Pakistan, noting that they may enter the country as they possess National Identity Cards for Overseas Pakistanis (Nicops), but that access to the country may not guarantee access to prison visitation.

Imran was sent to jail on Aug 5, 2023 in the Toshakhana case. Nevertheless, he is additionally serving a 14-year sentence in a £190 million corruption case, was convicted in another Toshakhana case in December 2025 and additionally faces pending trials in terrorism cases related to the May 9, 2023 riots.

His eye ailment – right central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) – came to light in late January, for which the administration has provided him treatment.

Meanwhile, the administration and the opposition have been engaged in a blame game, with the latter accusing the former of a lack of transparency in not ensuring appropriate treatment for Imran, and not allowing his personal physicians access to him. The administration denies these allegations.

Imran's sisters and opposition leaders have demanded that the former premier be shifted to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad, be treated in the presence of his personal physicians and allowed to meet his family.

On August 18, a three-member SC bench issued a number of directives on pleas concerning Imran's health and instructed authorities to move him to Shifa International Hospital, a private facility. Nevertheless, the administration instead took the PTI founder to Pims for a check-up and then transported him back to the prison.

Last week, Uzma had filed a petition before the SC against the authorities for violating the court's Aug 18 order. While Uzma additionally filed an application for the early hearing of the contempt petition, on Tuesday, the PTI resubmitted the petition to the SC's registrar.

On Thursday, she filed an application seeking the early hearing of a contempt petition against administration functionaries accused of flouting the court's directive to take Imran to Shifa.

In short, info ministry rejects 'misleading' foreign media reports on 'convicted prisoner' is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.