Did India send a letter to Pakistan asking for the custody of Imran Khan? – Firstpost

A letter doing the rounds on social media alleged that India had asked Pakistan to hand over jailed former Prime Minister
Imran Khan “as a political prisoner.”

But India’s Press Information Bureau fact-check unit has called the document entirely fake. The agency said the so-called letter, styled to look like a classified government communication, was being circulated by “several Pakistani propaganda accounts” to mislead Indian users.

The fabricated claim surfaced at a time when Pakistan is already on edge, with rumours and uncertainty swirling around Imran Khan’s health and whereabouts.

Here’s a simple breakdown of what the viral post claimed and a debunk

What did the post claim?

The circulating letter was presented as if it were sent to
Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary by the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs’ Pakistan–Afghanistan–Iran (PAI) division.

It was crafted to look official, beginning with a line that the note was being shared “through the restricted diplomatic channel in view of the sensitivity of the matter.”

From there, it falsely suggested that India had raised concerns about the “personal security and physical well-being of Mr Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi, currently under detention” in Pakistan.

The letter went on to claim that Indian “assessment units” had picked up information about a “rising risk environment” around the former PM, blaming political tensions, internal hostility and alleged instability inside detention centres. It even attempted to draw an unusual comparison with Bangladesh’s Sheikh Hasina, saying her safety had once required “exceptional protective measures during periods of political confrontation.”

Breaking News:

Top secret letter of the Indian Ministery of External Affairs gets leaked on Social Media.

Indian Government has requested Pakistan to send Imran Khan as a political prisoner to India just like Haseena Wajid. pic.twitter.com/mCTHfssLwW

— Abubakar Qassam (@abubakarqassam) December 1, 2025

Building on that, the fake document urged Pakistan to “consider transferring Mr Khan temporarily to a secure location under a mutually agreed protective framework,” insisting that the supposed request was being made “with all respect for your legal procedures” and without any intention of interfering in Pakistan’s internal processes.

It framed the fabricated appeal as one meant to avoid a scenario that could “escalate tensions or generate irreversible consequences.”

The fact check

The post spread rapidly across political pages and conspiracy-driven handles in Pakistan before India’s PIB stepped in. Its Fact Check division confirmed the document is entirely fake.

“Several Pakistani propaganda accounts are circulating a letter on social media, claiming it to be a top-secret Ministry of External Affairs document that allegedly leaked online. The fabricated letter claims that the Indian Government has requested Pakistan to send Imran Khan to India as a political prisoner,” PIB said in a post on X.

“This letter is fake. The claims being made in this letter are false, baseless, and part of an ongoing disinformation campaign being pushed by Pakistan against India. Do not share unverified content. Trust only official Government of India sources for accurate information,” the agency added.

🚨 #PAKISTAN Propaganda Alert!

Several Pakistani propaganda accounts are circulating a letter on social media, claiming it to be a top-secret Ministry of External Affairs document that allegedly leaked online. The fabricated letter claims that the Indian Government has requested… pic.twitter.com/DWxalnwjjM

— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) December 1, 2025

The fake MEA letter wasn’t the only piece of misinformation flagged. Earlier, PIB has on several occasions debunked Pakistan-linked propaganda targeting Indian institutions.

In one instance, a morphed letter falsely attributed to Air Chief Marshal AP Singh was circulated to make it appear as if he had praised Pakistan’s military capabilities.

PIB clarified, “The letter is fake and digitally morphed using AI. In the original letter, the Chief of the Air Staff only conveys his best wishes for the success of Defence Partnership Days 2025.”

Concerns about Imran Khan grow in Pakistan

Speculation around Khan’s health had intensified in Pakistan after several unverified media posts claimed the former prime minister had been “killed” in custody, a claim authorities later firmly denied.

Khan has been in jail since August 2023 and is currently serving a 14-year sentence in a corruption case. But the fresh wave of rumours picked up after his son, Kasim Khan, took to X to raise an alarm about the family’s lack of access to him and demanded
proof that his father is alive.

Kasim said it has been weeks, even months, since anyone close to Khan has had any direct, verifiable contact with him.

He repeated the
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party’s allegation that Khan has been kept in solitary confinement and that all family visits have been blocked. He also questioned the conditions in which the former prime minister is being held.

“My father has been under arrest for 845 days,” he wrote. “For the past six weeks, he has been kept in solitary confinement in a death cell with zero transparency.”

He added that even Khan’s sisters were being denied access despite court orders. “No phone calls, no meetings, and no news of his well-being. My brother and I have not been able to contact our father in any way,” he said.

As rumours grew online, Pakistan’s government issued statements confirming that he is alive.

Rana Sanaullah, the prime minister’s adviser on political affairs, told ARY News that Khan was “fine” and under regular medical supervision. “There is a team of doctors that checks him on a weekly and daily basis,” he said, adding that his medicine, diet, facilities and exercise needs were being taken care of.

Officials at Adiala Jail, where the 73-year-old PTI chief is lodged, also dismissed the death rumours and insisted he remains in good health.

With input from agencies