Viral document stating terms for Imran Khan’s arrest is fabricated

A fabricated document stating terms for Imran Khan’s arrest is going viral as real.

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested on corruption charges on 9 May, 2023. Following his arrest, there were widespread protests, and social media saw an increase in misleading photos, videos, and narratives.

In this scenario, an image of a document allegedly issued by Imran Khan’s political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is being widely shared on social media with the claims that it lays down the conditions for Khan’s arrest. The document, allegedly signed by PTI Chairman Imran Khan, U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome, and Interior Secretary Yousaf Naseem Khokhar, claims to show an “agreement” between the former PM and the Government of Pakistan.

The document states three terms presented to the Government of Pakistan concerning Imran Khan’s arrest. According to the terms, “Khan will not be forced to be naked while being interrogated, no one will be allowed to rape him, and he will not be tortured.” The document further states that Blome will supervise all these terms and conditions.

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Fact Check-

We began our investigation by checking PTI’s website but couldn’t find any such document made for Khan’s arrest there either. We found that Yousaf Naseem Khokhar, Interior Secretary named in the document retired on March 7, 2023, two months before this agreement was made. Moreover, his name is also spelled incorrectly; his spelling is Yousaf Naseem Khokhar, not Yousuf Naseem Khokhar.

 In addition to this, we found that the viral document had some formatting distinctions when compared to original notifications issued by the PTI. The comparison below show original notifications from the PTI website where the date in the reference number is written in the YYYY format. But the viral document shows the year in the reference number written in the YY format.

Next, we checked signature of Donald Blome on the official website of the 

US Embassy and Consulates in Pakistan and found out that his original signature does not match with the signature seen in the viral letter. You can see his original signature below.

We also came across a tweet published by Pakistan-based news outlet Geo TV that had fact-checked this claim. They shared a tweet on 10 May, which states ” An official privy to the development told Geo Fact Check on the condition of anonymity, that no such agreement was signed between Khan and the U.S. ambassador…” Further, no official or authoritative figure in Pakistan has shared this so-called agreement.

Conclusion-

Fact Crescendo discovered that the viral document was fabricated and shared falsely to claim that the PTI and the Pakistan government had signed an agreement regarding Imran Khan’s arrest.