Doctored Imran Khan clip raises concern among supporters over jail treatment
- This article is more than one year old.
- Published on September 19, 2023 at 12:28
- 4 min read
- By Rimal FARRUKH, AFP Pakistan
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The 26-second clip was posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on August 8, where it has more than 500 shares.
The black and white video appears to show Khan with his eyes closed continuously as he drinks water and holds on to prayer beads.
"Third night in jail, all because he dared to dream; he dared to stand up against the mafia that’s the root cause for this country’s devastation. Sucks," the post says.
Khan was arrested and sent to Pakistan's centuries-old Attock prison on August 5, following a guilty verdict in one of more than 200 cases he has faced since being booted from office by a vote of no confidence in April 2022.
His spokesman told AFP on August 8 the former cricket star was being held in "deplorable conditions" at the jail, 60 kilometres (37 miles) west of Islamabad, but that he was in good spirits.
On August 30, a Pakistan court ordered Khan be kept in prison over separate allegations he leaked classified documents, a day after a judge granted his release.
This case relates to a cable that Khan had touted as proof he was ousted as part of a US conspiracy backed by the Pakistani establishment, according to a report by the government's Federal Investigation Agency.
Variations of the edited clip were also shared on TikTok here and here.
Social media users left comments expressing concern for Khan's safety in jail.
"What’s happened to his eyes? May Allah give him health and strength to endure this time," one wrote.
"We will never forgive whoever is behind this torture, even those who are hiding it on the media," another said.
However, the clip has been altered and cut from longer interview footage from before Khan was jailed.
'Closed-eyes filter'
AFP found the altered clip corresponds to footage from an exclusive interview by Pakistan online media outlet WE News, posted on YouTube on August 1, days before Khan's arrest (archived link).
The video is titled "Imran Khan Exclusive: 'In the elections, PTI's graph will go up due to the delay'.
The video shows Khan claiming that the popularity of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party will further increase even if upcoming elections are pushed back.
There has been speculation for months that there could be a delay to polls -- for which no date has been formally announced -- as the establishment grapples to stabilise the country, which is facing overlapping security, economic and political crises.
Zubair Ali Khan, deputy editor of reporting at WE News, told AFP on September 11 that he interviewed Khan during a break in court proceedings.
"I filmed this on August 1 in the courtroom of Judge Humayun Dilawar. During this break I interviewed him for five minutes," he said.
The altered video is in black and white and appears to use a "closed-eyes filter" which gives the illusion that Khan's eyes are shut. But the original interview shows him remaining alert throughout and is in full colour.
Below are screenshot comparisons between the edited clip (left) and the WE News video (right):
The first nine seconds of the false clip match the first nine seconds of the WE News video.
Khan is seen drinking from a water bottle at the original interview's one-minute mark and raising his hand holding a rosary at the two-minute, 27-second mark (archived link). The same scenes are found in the doctored footage.
An analysis of the edited clip also shows glitches with the "closed-eyes filter" in some parts, for example at the 15-second mark, where Khan's own eyes become visible.
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