Viral video of recently installed “Free Imran Khan” billboard in New York

RATING JUSTIFICATION

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

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted a reverse image search and keyword searches to trace the origin and timeline of the viral video.

Multiple pro-PTI accounts and digital media outlets have been sharing a video across social media platforms since August 30, 2026, claiming that a “Free Imran Khan” billboard had recently appeared in New York amid calls for the incarcerated PTI founder’s release. However, the billboard shown in the viral video is not recent and has been circulating online since October 2025.

Imran has remained incarcerated since August 2023 following his arrest in connection with multiple cases. His continued imprisonment and calls for his release have remained a major political issue in Pakistan, with PTI supporters and the Pakistani diaspora periodically organising demonstrations and displaying “Free Imran Khan” messages in different countries.

Against this backdrop, images and videos purporting to show recent international support for him can attract significant attention, particularly when they are presented as evidence of a new development in his release campaign.

HOW IT STARTED

On August 30, an account that appears to be pro-PTI based on its profile picture and past posts shared a video on X showing a roadside billboard displaying Imran’s picture alongside the words, “Free Imran Khan,” with the caption: “New York USA!”

The post gained 30,900 views.

Another pro-PTI account on August 31 also shared the same video on X with the following caption: “Just now, someone from America sent a video of Imran Khan’s big banner, Free Imran Khan Right now, there’s only one news across the whole world, Imran Khan’s release!!”

The post gained 32,000 views.

A Pakistani digital media account on Instagram also shared the same video on the same day, with the caption: “A billboard in New York, USA, has displayed a ‘Free Imran Khan’ message, drawing attention on social media and among supporters of the former Pakistani prime minister.”

The post gained 482,000 views.

The official PTI Gilgit-Baltistan account on X also shared the same video on September 1 with the caption: “A ‘Free Imran Khan’ billboard has been displayed in the New York and New Jersey area, organised by the Pakistani American diaspora to demand justice and call for his release,” gaining more than 200 views.

The video was subsequently shared by several other pro-PTI accounts on X, as can be seen here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here, collectively gaining more than 10,000 views.

The video was also shared by local digital media outlets on social media platforms, Instagram and Facebook, as can be seen here, here, here, and here.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its high virality and keen public interest surrounding reports and social media posts about calls for Imran’s release.

A keyword search was conducted to verify whether any credible Pakistani media outlets or official central PTI platforms had recently reported that a billboard displaying Imran’s picture alongside a “Free Imran Khan” message had been placed in the US. However, no recent reports or official party statements confirming the claim or the visuals were found.

The banner in the viral clip featured the following organisation’s name and website: First Pakistan Global.

A reverse image search subsequently conducted to trace the source of the viral video yielded a similar clip in an X post shared by the organisation on October 2, 2025, featuring the same billboard.

The post carried the caption: “Voice of a nation free Imran Khan. This is not just a billboard. It’s a megaphone for 250 million silenced voices.”

The caption further stated that the billboard was located on Pulaski Highway in New Jersey and was being seen by millions of drivers.

The organisation described itself as a non-profit organisation comprised of entities and members residing abroad, “dedicated to advocating for the betterment of Pakistan”.

Furthermore, there was no recent post or share by the group that said or indicated that it had again put up the billboard.

Another post shared on X on the same date also featured the same billboard and carried the caption: “Free Imran Khan billboards popping up again in the USA,” further indicating that the footage was not recent but older, from October 2025.

Further searches yielded an Instagram post by a local digital media outlet, News PMC, dated January 21, 2026, featuring the same clip as the viral video.

This confirmed that the video was not recent and was at least as old as January 2026.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: MISLEADING

The claim that a viral video shows a recently installed “Free Imran Khan” billboard in New York, USA, is misleading.

The video is not recent and the billboard is from October 2025, when it was displayed on the Pulaski Highway in New Jersey.

EVIDENCE AND REFERENCES

October 2, 2025, X post:

https://x.com/firstpakglobal/status/1973535134285701569?s=46

October 2, 2025, X post:

https://x.com/soldierspeaks/status/1973656723341844693?s=46

January 21, 2026, Instagram post:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTxQm0nlctZ