Viral image of ex-prime minister Imran Khan’s sister Noreen Niazi reciting the Holy Quran upside down outside Adiala Jail

RATING JUSTIFICATION

The iVerify Pakistan team reviewed this content and determined that it is false.

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted a forensic analysis to assess the photo’s authenticity, a Google reverse image search and a keyword search to trace the original source.

Multiple PML-N supporters on social media platforms X and Facebook were sharing an image since February 3, 2026, allegedly showing Noreen Niazi reciting the Holy Quran upside down outside Adiala Jail. However, the image is doctored.

A court order issued by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on March 24, 2025, mandated that meetings with PTI founder Imran Khan would be permitted twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Despite the IHC’s order, Imran’s sisters — Aleema Khan, Uzma Khan and Noreen — along with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, have tried and failed to meet Imran.

The sisters, alongside party workers, hold recitations of the Holy Quran and protests outside Adiala jail to demand meeting rights and justice, frequently staging sit-ins due to denied visits. These demonstrations picked up pace after the former premier recently underwent eye surgery at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims).

HOW IT STARTED

On Feb 4, a PML-N supporter on X shared an image of Noreen reciting the Holy Quran upside down with the following caption: “May Allah forgive, mistakes even in dramatics.”

The post gained 64,000 views.

Journalist Safina Khan, who often posts in favour of the PML-N on her social media, also shared the same image with the following caption: “The Holy Quran is being used merely for drama. The situation is such that big sister Noreen doesn’t even know how to hold a para properly. When you don’t even know the sanctity of the Holy Quran, why do you hold it?”

The post garnered 70,000 views.

Another PML-N fan account on Facebook shared the same image with a similar claim on Feb 4, with the following caption: “God forbid, they also call themselves Muslims. Big sister of youthias holding a volume upside down. How will the Quran recitation be accepted?”

The post racked up 14,500 likes and was reshared 4,500 times.

The image was shared by multiple other PML-N supporters on X, as can be seen here, here, here, here, here, and here; on Facebook, as seen here, here, here, and here. It collectively accumulated more than 35,000 views.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality and keen public interest in the incarcerated PTI founder and his family.

It was observed that at the time the said image began circulating online, another photo of Noreen, in which she could be seen holding the Holy Quran correctly, was also shared on social media by PTI supporters.

An analysis of the viral image via forensic tools such as Fake Image Detector and Undetectable flagged the photo as computer-generated or modified.

Separately, a reverse image search yielded a similar image shared by PTI politician Mudassar Raza Machiana on his X account on Feb 3, 2026. It showed Noreen holding the Quran correctly during recitation.

The same image was also shared by PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter and PTI student body Insaf Student Federation (ISF) on their Facebook accounts.

A keyword search conducted to trace videos of the event yielded a video shared by PTI Central Punjab and PTI Sindh chapter on X, where Noreen can be seen reciting the Holy Quran, holding it properly.

Moreover, when a book is held upside down, the title appears on the right side; however, in the viral image, the title is clearly visible on the left side.

Furthermore, no shares of the viral image were found before 10:51 pm on February 3, 2026, whereas the original images and videos from the same event had already been circulating since 10:02am that day.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE​

The claim that a viral image shows Noreen Niazi reciting the Holy Quran upside down outside Adiala Jail is false.​

The image is doctored.

EVIDENCE AND REFERENCES

Feb 3, 2026, X post:
https://x.com/Muddasaroffical/status/2018626183391506644

Feb 3, 2026, PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Facebook post:
https://www.facebook.com/PTIKPOfficial/photos/d41d8cd9/1454846399337005/

Feb 3, 2026, Insaf Student Federation’s Facebook post:
https://www.facebook.com/ISF.PTI.PK/photos/d41d8cd9/832798406474542/

Feb 3, 2026, PTI Central Punjab X post:
https://x.com/PTIOfficialCP/status/2018650096402108837

Feb 3, 2026, PTI Sindh X post:
https://x.com/PTISindhX/status/2018650608501489790