New Delhi: A leaked image of Imran Khan from a court hearing has led to celebration in Pakistan. His party, PTI, distributed sweets and his “followers” came out in support of the former PM. Their love was marked with a blue T-shirt—it’s what the jailed leader was wearing during the hearing.
PTI members celebrated it like Eid—Khan was the elusive moon and a glimpse of him, 285 days after he was put in jail, led to the party distributing sweets in different cities. The frenzy on social media was no less.
“I don’t know about the internet but it broke me into tears,” an X user wrote.
Khan made a court appearance via video call for the government’s intra-court appeal against the nullification of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) law amendments, a case in which the former PM was the original petitioner.
“After 285 days of unjust imprisonment, the nation’s unprecedented reaction to the glimpse that appeared in court today shows that founder chairman Imran Khan was the most popular and reliable leader of the nation,” PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan wrote on X.
PTI supporters rallied behind the Kaptaan and were busy praising “the influence he has on people.”
“One picture of this man is enough to send the whole country into a frenzy. This is why those small uniformed men in big offices hate him. They envy him and fear the influence he has on people. And this love from his people is exactly why Imran Khan refuses to give up,” another X user wrote.
The image of Khan, circulated by PTI’s official handle and other accounts, quickly became viral, prompting an investigation into the leak. PTI spokesperson Raoof Hassan added that the picture “has sent seismic shivers through a host of spines”.
Also read: Pakistan Army wants apology from Imran Khan party. PTI supporters refer Gen to psychiatrist
Blue shirt frenzy
A PTI member even made a historical parallel and likened charges against Khan to those levelled against Bahadur Shah Zafar by the East India Company.
“Using the same charges after 166 years. That’s called consistency,” Omar Ayub Khan, the PTI secretary wrote.
Another user posted the picture of a Pakistan army soldier with this caption in Urdu, “Hello sir, the country is saying that the way he is sitting on a chair with his button open, it seems like you are being held captive, not him”.
Journalist Imran Riaz Khan shared a video of King Charles III revealing his royal portrait, only that it was replaced with Khan’s new image.
Turgay Evren, Turkish author, thinker and songwriter, also shared the photograph of Imran with the caption: “The giant in the jail…”, Express Tribune reported.
If that was not enough, many even rushed to buy the same-coloured T-shirt and shared pictures of them wearing the same colour.
نیو شرت
خان صاحب اگلی بار کلر وہ پہنیے گا جو مارکیٹ سے آسانی سے مل جائے ?? pic.twitter.com/aijYft7Fb1
— Azeem Ansari Official ?? (@hazeemasghar) May 16, 2024
I will always stand with Imran Khan pic.twitter.com/6scYpcN3Vv
— Shayan Ali (@ShayanA2307) May 16, 2024
The trend caught up and soon, PTI shared a video of his “followers” wearing blue. Whether those featured wore blue in support of Khan is not clear, but PTI’s official handle has taken it as a sign.
Soon after the picture was shared on social media, the man who leaked the picture was apprehended and suspended. One X user noted that even a single photo of Khan is a “massive burden on the system.”
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)