Multiple users, a majority of whom appear to be PTI supporters, based on their past posts, have been sharing an image on social media platforms YouTube and X since August 11, 2026, purportedly showing incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan lying on a hospital bed at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS). However, the image is AI-generated and he was not recently taken to the hospital.

Imran has remained incarcerated in Adiala jail while facing multiple legal cases. In early 2026, concerns over his health intensified after his legal team reported that he had developed central retinal vein occlusion, resulting in significant vision loss in his right eye.

The former prime minister was subsequently taken to PIMS in Islamabad for an eye examination and follow-up treatment under government supervision. The hospital later stated that he was clinically stable. At the same time, PTI leaders and Imran’s legal team continued to demand treatment at a hospital of their choice and access for his personal physicians, keeping public attention focused on his health. He has since been regularly taken to PIMS for procedures.

Rumours have been circulating on social media recently about his blood pressure issues and that he was taken to the hospital for treatment for them.

How it started

On August 11, a pro-PTI user, based on its past posts, shared an image on X, allegedly showing Imran lying on a hospital bed.

The caption of the post read: “Breaking news: Meet the mentor. A photo of Imran Khan from PIMS hospital has gone viral, causing a huge stir everywhere. It may be recalled that three days ago, Khan was brought in due to high blood pressure.”

It gained 581,100 views.

Former journalist and vlogger Sami Abraham also shared the same visual while questioning the image’s authenticity. His post accumulated 35,000 views.

The same image was subsequently shared by several other pro-PTI accounts on X and YouTube, as seen here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

Methodology

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its high virality and keen public interest in Imran’s health.

A keyword search did not yield any news reports or official party statements on any recent hospital visit or admission of Imran at PIMS. A reverse image search also did not yield any results of the image used by credible news outlets or PTI platforms.

He was last taken to PIMS for eye treatment on June 15, 2026, the hospital said in a statement. It said Imran was brought for follow-up eye treatment, which included the administration of a fifth anti-VEGF intravitreal injection to him.

When reached out, Dawn’s Rawalpindi correspondent Tahir Naseer confirmed to iVerify Pakistan that the ex-prime minister was not brought to Pims recently. “There is no such confirmation from both Adiala jail and the hospital,” he said.

Express News correspondent Zaigham Naqvi also confirmed the same.

A visual examination of the image shows a toilet-paper holder hanging directly behind Imran’s bed — an unusual placement in a hospital patient-care setting.

While this discrepancy alone does not prove AI generation, it provides an additional visual red flag.

The image was next analysed using OpenAI’s content verification tool and uploaded to OpenAI Verify, which checks files for provenance signals associated with OpenAI-generated content, including C2PA (Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity) metadata and SynthID watermarks.

The tool detected a SynthID signal, indicating that the image likely originated from OpenAI’s generative tools.

SynthID works by embedding an invisible digital watermark directly into AI-generated media content. Unlike normal metadata, the watermark forms part of the content itself and is designed to remain detectable even after the media is doctored, such as cropping, applying filters or lossy compression.

OpenAI notes that a detected signal reliably indicates that the content likely originated from its tools.

The image was also analysed through other AI image detection tools with Fake Image Detector flagging it as 67 per cent likely to be a computer-generated or modified image while Deep AI said it was 68% likely to be fake and created by AI while Undetectable said it was 32% likely to be real and thus likely created by AI.

Fact-check status: False

The claim that a viral image shows former prime minister Imran Khan lying on a hospital bed at PIMS, Islamabad, amid ongoing concerns about his health is false.

The viral image is AI-generated and he was not recently taken to the hospital.

This fact check was originally published by iVerify Pakistan — a project of CEJ-IBA and UNDP.