AI visuals of jailed ex-Pakistan leader in hospital mislead online
- Published on June 23, 2026 at 09:19
- 3 min read
- By Ayesha MIRZA, AFP Pakistan
Concerns about the health of Pakistan's jailed former prime minister Imran Khan have triggered a torrent of AI-powered misinformation online, with posts sharing inauthentic visuals of his repeated hospital visits. The government has not released any footage or photos of these tightly controlled trips -- and those circulating online contain mistakes that are hallmarks of AI fabrication.
"The great Imran Khan in PIMS hospital," reads the caption of a Facebook video shared on June 17, 2026, referring to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in the capital Islamabad.
The clip, shared by a user with more than 5,000 followers, appears to show Khan in handcuffs leaving a hospital emergency room flanked by officers.
Similar posts also shared clips supposedly showing Khan in a hospital bed.
Khan has been taken to PIMS several times since January 2026, most recently on June 14 for an eye injection, the hospital said in a statement (archived here).
The 73-year-old former cricket star -- who remains hugely popular in Pakistan -- has been in jail since 2023 and was sentenced with his wife to 17 years on corruption charges they both deny.
According to his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, Khan was diagnosed with a blood clot in his right eye, which could lead to permanent damage if not treated carefully (archived link).
His family and supporters have accused the government of withholding information about Khan's condition, saying they have been denied regular contact (archived link).
Khan's sister Aleema in a June 16 statement on X demanded the former premier be treated at another hospital, accusing PIMS of making "questionable claims" (archived link).
The government has denied the allegations and maintained that all necessary treatment has been provided at PIMS under proper protocols (archived link).
No photos or videos of Khan's hospital visits have been publicly released, contrary to posts spreading on Facebook that passed off AI visuals as genuine.
Visual mistakes
AFP analysed the three circulating visuals and found several errors that indicate they were inauthentic.
The first video that apparently shows Khan leaving a hospital emergency room bears a Meta AI watermark -- a sign it was made using the tech giant's AI tools.
The hospital's name that appears on the sign and the word "ambulance" on a vehicle are also misspelled.
The layout of the hospital depicted in the clip does not match images of the PIMS emergency ward exit geotagged on Google Maps (archived here and here).
Meanwhile, the second clip appears to show both of Khan's eyes inflamed despite reports indicating his condition concerns only the right eye.
And in the third clip, the background appears unnaturally static even though the camera is slightly moving sideways.
An analysis using the DeepFake-O-Meter tool developed by the University at Buffalo found detection models indicate a "high" probability the videos were AI-generated.
AFP has previously debunked misinformation around Imran Khan.
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