A video widely shared on social media, purportedly showing former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in a dark, cramped prison cell, is actually more than a decade old and depicts the escape of Mexican drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman. The footage, which has been repurposed with false claims, surfaced as Khan's sister Aleema Khan challenged his detention conditions in court, describing them as 'unlawful and inhumane'. However, Pakistani authorities have never released any surveillance footage from the Adiala jail where Khan is held.
The misleading video was posted on Facebook on July 9, 2026, by the official account of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party's central Punjab chapter. The Urdu-language caption read, 'Those who gained power and privileges by seeking votes in Imran Khan's name are today enjoying comfort in air-conditioned rooms, while he – despite being ill – has been kept in a cramped dark prison cell in extreme heat deprived of basic facilities and electricity.' The video shows a man pacing back and forth in a cell, occasionally bending behind a partition wall and sitting on a bed.
Imran Khan's Imprisonment and Legal Battles
Imran Khan, the former cricketer-turned-politician and Pakistan's prime minister from 2018 to 2022, has been in jail since 2023. He was sentenced in December 2025 along with his wife, Bushra Bibi, to 17 years in prison on corruption charges that both deny. The couple has been held in Adiala jail in Rawalpindi. In April 2026, Khan's sister Aleema filed a petition before the Islamabad High Court, alleging that Khan is kept in solitary confinement for 22 hours a day, and that Bushra Bibi is confined in isolation for 24 hours. The petition also claimed that family visits have been denied for months and that Khan's eyesight has significantly deteriorated. The court hearing brought renewed attention to Khan's detention conditions, prompting supporters to share the deceptive video as evidence of his harsh treatment.
Khan's political career has been marked by dramatic ups and downs. After leading PTI to victory in 2018, he faced a no-confidence vote in 2022 and was ousted. Subsequently, he was arrested on multiple charges, including corruption, terrorism, and sedition. His supporters have long argued that the cases are politically motivated. The former prime minister remains hugely popular, and his imprisonment has sparked widespread protests and online campaigns demanding his release. The use of misleading visuals in such campaigns can further polarize public opinion and undermine the credibility of genuine grievances.
Analysis of the Viral Video
A reverse image search using keyframes from the shared video led to footage distributed by AFP in July 2015. That footage was originally released by the Mexican government and shows the notorious drug lord El Chapo Guzman inside his cell at the Altiplano maximum-security prison. In the clip, Guzman is seen moving around, then entering a shower area where he disappeared through a hidden tunnel. The video now circulating on social media is a cropped and magnified version of that same 2015 footage. Matching elements – such as the position of the partition wall, the bed, and the man's movements – confirm its origin. The video carries no watermark or reference to its Mexican source, making it easy for bad actors to misattribute it to Khan's imprisonment.
This is not the first time that visuals from El Chapo's escape have been misused in a political context. The 2015 escape was an embarrassment for the Mexican government and generated extensive media coverage. The surveillance footage became iconic, showing Guzman's nonchalant movements minutes before his escape. The tunnel was reportedly 1.5 kilometers long, equipped with lighting, ventilation, and even a motorcycle on rails. Guzman was recaptured six months later in 2016, extradited to the United States in 2017, and is now serving a life sentence at a maximum-security prison in Colorado.
Broader Patterns of Misinformation
The reuse of historical prison footage to support false narratives about Imran Khan is part of a larger trend. AFP has previously debunked other misinformation about Khan that relied on misrepresented visuals. Such disinformation can have real-world consequences, inflaming public sentiment and undermining trust in institutions. In Pakistan, where political tensions are high, fake videos and images often go viral before fact-checkers can intervene. Social media platforms like Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) are used extensively by political parties to rally supporters, and misleading content can spread rapidly when it aligns with partisan beliefs.
The case also highlights the importance of digital literacy and critical thinking. Viewers should always question the source and context of sensational footage, especially when it appears to support a particular political narrative. News organizations and fact-checking initiatives play a crucial role in combating such myths. The YouTube video, for instance, was clearly identified in 2015 as Mexican government footage, but cropped and reposted without attribution later. Reverse image search tools and attention to detail – such as the lack of modern prison features or Pakistani insignia – can help debunk such claims.
Imran Khan's sister Aleema has continued to pursue legal avenues to highlight her brother's conditions, but the misuse of unrelated footage weakens her cause. The Islamabad High Court is yet to issue a final ruling on the petition. Meanwhile, Khan remains in Adiala jail, and his party continues to campaign for his release. The circulation of the fake video shows how quickly misinformation can intertwine with legitimate legal battles, making it difficult for the public to separate fact from fiction.
Source:MSN News