Imran 'not in executive detention'
The information ministry on Saturday rejected what it called "misleading stories" circulated by foreign media outlets about a "convicted prisoner" incarcerated in Pakistan.
The statement came after CNN anchor Becky Anderson interviewed Zulfi Bukhari, a former aide to PTI founder Imran Khan, on television. Anderson later posted the ministry's statement on her X account.
According to the statement, Imran is "not a person held under executive detention" and that he has been incarcerated based on multiple convictions after judicial proceedings, noting that the PTI founder "remains entitled to pursue all remedies available to him under Pakistani law".
"His imprisonment is governed by the Pakistan Prison Rules, applicable judicial directions and security arrangements appropriate to a high-profile prisoner," the statement read.
The information ministry also rejected allegations that Imran was being subjected to "punitive solitary confinement, cruelty or deprivation", stating that visits, phone calls, reading materials and home-cooked meals, among other amenities, were available to him.
"His accommodation includes an exclusive seven-cell compound with sleeping, sanitation and exercise facilities," the ministry said.
It further dismissed allegations that the PTI founder was being denied meetings with his family and party members, saying visits were allowed and that he had been holding weekly meetings with his wife, Bushra Bibi - who is also incarcerated at Adiala - with the most recent taking place on Aug 4.
"Since his imprisonment, records show approximately 198 interview sessions involving more than 900 visitor entries. These include his sisters, family members, lawyers, doctors, political representatives and other approved visitors," the MOIB stated.
"Prison records further document telephone, landline and WhatsApp communication with family members in Pakistan and abroad, including a recorded telephone conversation with one of his sons on March 21, 2026," it added. "More recently, meetings were also recorded with his sisters on Aug 18, 19 and 25, 2026."
The ministry also categorically rejected allegations that Imran had been denied appropriate medical care or that authorities had failed to comply with a Supreme Court order directing that he be transferred to the privately run Shifa International Hospital for medical examination and treatment.
Despite the SC order, in the early hours of last Friday, Imran was moved from Adiala jail but taken to the state-run Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences instead, where he was examined by a panel of doctors, with his sister Dr Uzma Khan present, according to Information Minister Attaullah Tarar.