Fake ARY News graphic about Imran Khan’s release this week is false

ISLAMABAD: A viral image circulating on X that appears to show an ARY News bulletin claiming former prime minister Imran Khan would be released this week on humanitarian grounds has been found to be fabricated, according to a fact-check published by iVerify Pakistan and carried by Express Tribune.

Multiple users, including accounts that appeared to support Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) based on their previous posts, had been sharing the alleged television visual since May 13, 2026. The image attributed a statement to Sanaullah saying Imran would be freed this week, but the fact-check concluded that no such broadcast was aired by ARY News.

One pro-PTI account posted the image with the caption: “Imran Khan is going to be released this week. Is this true??” That post drew 129,500 views. Another account shared the same image the same day and wrote: “Can anyone confirm this news? ” That post received 112,400 views, while several other users also circulated the same visual.

Verification process

The fact-check said it was launched because of public interest in Imran’s imprisonment and ongoing speculation about a possible release from Adiala Jail. A keyword search was conducted to verify whether ARY News or any other credible Pakistani or international media organisation had reported such remarks by Sanaullah, but no matching report was found.

It also identified several visual irregularities in the image. Sanaullah’s ears appeared blurred and distorted, while the yellow shade used for the Urdu breaking news label was slightly darker than the channel’s standard on-air graphics. It further noted that the LIVE bug and ARY NEWS logo in the lower-right corner looked blurry and lower in resolution than the rest of the frame, suggesting digital tampering.

The image was also examined using forensic tools. Fake Image Detector classified it as a 100 per cent “computer-generated or modified image”.

ARY News response

When approached for comment, Fayyaz Hyder Mangi, head of assignment at ARY News, rejected the claim and said the channel had not aired any such bulletin.

“This is false information. We never broadcast this news. The absence of our single red ticker line above the English ticker further confirms that this was fabricated using our colour scheme and branding to mislead viewers.”

No statement supporting the claim was found from the PTI leadership, the party’s social media platforms, or Imran’s family.

Background cited in the report

Imran has been in prison since 2023 after being convicted for concealing details of Toshakhana gifts, and that he is serving a 14-year sentence at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail in the £190 million corruption case. It also said his party and family have alleged that he has been held in solitary confinement and that restrictions have been placed on visitors seeking to meet him in jail.

Concerns had repeatedly been raised over his medical treatment after it emerged in January that he had developed an eye ailment. His sons, Kasim Khan and Sulaiman Khan, have also been campaigning for his release.

The fact-check’s final assessment was that the claim was false, stating that the visual was fake, ARY News did not air the bulletin, and Sanaullah did not make the comments attributed to him.