Viral video of PTI founder Imran Khan in a wheelchair outside Islamabad’s Pims Hospital

RATING JUSTIFICATION

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

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted a reverse image search and keyword search to trace the original source of the clip.

Multiple PTI supporters across social media platforms were sharing a clip since January 27, 2026, of former prime minister Imran Khan in a wheelchair, claiming that it was from his latest visit to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) in Islamabad, where he underwent an eye procedure. However, the video is old, from November 2022, when he was shot in the leg during a protest in Wazirabad.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed that Imran underwent a “20-minute” medical procedure for an eye ailment on the night of January 24 at Pims.

The executive director of Pims said the former premier, aged 74, complained of “reduced vision in his right eye”, adding that a “qualified ophthalmologist” from the hospital conducted a “complete eye assessment at Adiala jail”. Based on the initial assessment, the diagnosis of right central vein occlusion was made, and a hospital-based treatment was recommended.

HOW IT STARTED

On Feb 27, a user who appears to be a PTI supporter based on his profile picture and past posts on TikTok, shared a video of Imran in a wheelchair with the caption: “Imran Khan”.

The post gained 6.1 million views, 434,400 likes, and was reshared by 21,100 users.

The video was also shared by PTI activist Sanam Javed on her Facebook and Instagram handles the same day, wherein she questioned the authenticity of the video. The posts were captioned as: “This video is going on TikTok with today’s date, February 27, 2026, written on it. Is this really today’s video?”

The post gained 154,000 and 153,000 views, respectively.

Another PTI supporter shared the same video with a similar claim on YouTube on Feb 28 with the following caption: “Imran Khan’s hospital video is released.”

The video gained 420,000 views and was liked by 16,000 users.

The same video with a similar claim was shared by multiple other PTI supporters on TikTok as can be seen here, here, here, here, here, and here; Instagram as seen here, here, here, here, and here; YouTube, as seen here, here, here, and here; and Facebook as seen here, here, here, here, and here. They collectively gained over 510,000 views.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality and keen public interest in the health of the former prime minister and PTI founder.

A reverse image search was conducted to trace the source of the video, which yielded a TikTok video shared by UK-based media outlet Middle East Eye on November 7, 2022.

The video shows the moment after Imran was discharged from the hospital after being shot in the leg during a protest in Wazirabad on November 4, 2022.

Separately, a keyword search yielded a news report by Business Recorder dated November 6, 2022. The image used in the report shows Imran in the same blue hospital gown and wheelchair as seen in the viral video.

It also stated that the ex-premier was treated at the Shaukat Khanum Hospital in Lahore after the shooting and not Pims. The same was also reported by other local and international credible media outlets such as Dawn, Al Jazeera, The Express Tribune, and Reuters.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE​

The claim that a viral video of PTI founder Imran Khan in a wheelchair is from his recent visit to Pims hospital in Islamabad for an eye procedure is false.​

The clip is old and shows Imran leaving the Shaukat Khanum Hospital in Lahore, where he was admitted after being shot in the leg during the 2022 Wazirabad protest.

EVIDENCE AND REFERENCES

November 7, 2022, Middle East Eye’s TikTok video:
https://www.tiktok.com/@middleeasteye/video/7163319950239698181

November 6, 2022, Business Recorder report:
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40207307

November 7, 2022, Dawn report:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1719433

November 8, 2022, Al Jazeera report:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/11/8/pakistan-authorities-open-police-report-into-imran-khan-shooting

November 7, 2022, Express Tribune report:
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2385065/imran-khan-leaves-hospital-after-attack

November 6, 2022, Reuters report:
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/former-pakistan-pm-khan-welcomes-probe-into-shooting-2022-11-06/