Fact check: Viral video of Imran Khan talking about his legal cases is old from 2023

Multiple people, including users who appear to be PTI supporters based on their past posts, were sharing a video on X since May 10, 2026, insinuating that the clip, which shows party founder Imran Khan talking about his legal cases, was recently released. However, the video is from May 12, 2023.

Claim

Viral video of former prime minister Imran Khan talking about his legal cases

Rating justification

The iVerify Pakistan team investigated this content and determined that it is misleading.

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted a Google reverse image search and a keyword search to trace the original video.

Multiple people, including users who appear to be PTI supporters based on their past posts, were sharing a video on X since May 10, 2026, insinuating that the clip, which shows party founder Imran talking about his legal cases, was recently released. However, the video is from May 12, 2023.

The former prime minister — who has been imprisoned since 2023 for concealing details of Toshakhana gifts — is serving a 14-year sentence at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail in the £190 million corruption case.

Imran’s party and family allege that he is being kept in solitary confinement, with restrictions on visitors meeting him in jail. They repeatedly raise concerns over his medical treatment, after it surfaced in January that he suffered an eye ailment. His sons, Kasim Khan and Sulaiman Khan, have also been campaigning for his release.

How it started

On May 10, an X user, who appears to be pro-Afghan based on previous posts, shared a video of Imran on X, in which he can be seen talking about his court cases.

The caption of the post reads: “The court has declared me innocent and there are no charges against me, but the army is still keeping me besieged. They are plotting against us. The people of Pakistan must be aware of this scenario. The army removed him from power and, at the behest of America, consolidated its own rule over Pakistan.”

In the video, the PTI founder can be heard saying: “It has been three hours since they have kept me here in the court. They are not letting me go. They are making excuses one after another. I am telling the whole nation that the court has given me bail everywhere. I have no case against me. I am free. Despite that, they have kidnapped me here. I want to tell the whole nation that they have a bad intention. They want to do something again.”

He further added, “The whole nation should get ready. When the decisions of the courts are not being followed, in a country where the status of the law has ended, the people should protest peacefully. Otherwise, we have become sheep and goats. When there is no care for the law, the court has decided that I am free. Three judges have decided in the high court. Despite that, they have kept me here for the last three hours. I am telling the whole nation that you should get ready to protest peacefully.”

The post gained 31,200 views.

A local Turkish media outlet, Habernas, also shared the same clip on May 11 with the caption, “Ousted former Pakistani president Imran Khan by the military, addressed the people of Pakistan: The court acquitted me, and there are no charges against me, but the military is keeping me under siege and plotting against us. The people of Pakistan should be aware of this situation.”

The post gained 484,500 views.

Another social media user shared the same clip with a similar claim, gaining 118,590 views.

Subsequently, other X users also shared the same video with similar claims, as can be seen here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

The posts did not share important details about the video, such as when and where it was from.

In the comment section of the viral clips, people were questioning whether it was recent, since Imran has been in jail, which created further confusion.

Methodology

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

A keyword search was conducted to check if a video featuring Imran was released by his party or surfaced online, but it did not yield any results.

Instead, a reverse image search yielded the same video shared on YouTube by Imran’s official account, dated May 12, 2023, with the title: “Get ready for peaceful protest, Chairman Imran Khan exclusive message to nation.”

The viral clip starts at the 1:19-minute mark of the old video.

Furthermore, a keyword search yielded a news report by mainstream media outlet Geo News with the following headline: “Imran Khan finally leaves IHC premises after hours-long drama.”

Imran’s video message was also covered by FRANCE 24 Español on its YouTube channels.

As per the news report, the IHC ordered the release of Imran on bail for two weeks on May 12, 2023. The former premier was at the IHC for hours after he decided to stay within the court’s premises till he got a written verdict of his bail, as he feared that the police might arrest him again once he left the building.

An Indian news outlet, The Wire, also reported the same incident dated May 13, 2023, with the same context.

Fact-check status: misleading

The claim that a recent viral video shows PTI founder Imran talking about his legal cases is misleading.

Imran released the video message after a hearing at the IHC on May 12, 2023.

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